Samsara
by Fruitloop Trooper
Summary: After Taichi dies saving Hikari from an evil digimon, she becomes convinced that he is about to be reborn as her child. Is she loosing her mind, or is the Digital World stranger than anyone previously thought? Rated M for adult themes and self harm.
1. Chapter 1

Image art was made using the base at: biffsims/art/base-37-request-352338071 on deviantart.

Samsara

Chapter 1

Set after tri:

Yamato, Sora=19

Hikari, Takeru=16

 _Present Time…_

Hikari woke in the darkness of her room, her face a mix of sweat and tears. She twisted in her bed to read the clock, only an hour before she set the alarm; as if she could fall asleep again if she tried. She fell back in bed and stared at the celling; in her mind repeating the breathing exercises prescribed by her doctor. Her heart slowed, but the nausea remained. She bolted out of bed as best she could and dove into the bathroom.

After her body did its latest assault on herself, the sixteen-year-old slid down the hall, careful not to wake her parents, or Takeru, who lay sleeping on the couch, and paused at her brother's room, hoping that it had been a terrible dream, that Taichi would be snoring loudly in his bed, oversleeping like usual.

Her fingers curled around the doorframe and tears filled her eyes again, as they had every day for the first month afterwards. All of her brother's belongings had been removed, boxed and donated. Fresh paint still hung to the walls, while the smell of new plastic lingered in the air.

She ran a hand along the edge of the crib, spun the mobile attached to the ceiling. A sharp jab hit her stomach. She placed a hand on her abdomen until the feeling subsided. "It's okay," she whispered, "This'll be your room again soon."

She returned to her own room and sat on the bed, watching the sun peak over the Tokyo skyline. Should she attempt to return to sleep, or just go to bed an hour earlier that night? Either way, it would not ruin her schedule; she had little to do for the past few months besides trying to stay in her everyone's good graces.

She made her bed and decided on her outfit for the day. After dressing, she positioned herself sideways to her mirror and pulled up her shirt to the bottom of her bust line, showcasing her enlarged midsection and snapped a photo of her reflection with her phone.

"Getting really big," she wrote, "Should be any day now."

She rested a hand on her baby belly. "Can't wait for you to come back…"

She grinned.

"…Taichi."

 _Ten Months Earlier…_

Hikari could not decide if her body felt like dead weight or so light that it could float to the ceiling; somehow a mixture of both. All she knew for certain was she was numb; her body, at least. Her mind raced with a thousand thoughts, a million possibilities, a billion 'what-ifs,' but one thought, one statement, stood at the forefront.

"This is all my fault."

Ken was pacing the floor while Daisuke was pushing Jyou to talk 'doctor,' to the receptionist for information. Sora was in the seat next to her, arm wrapped around the younger girl's shoulders. "It'll be okay," she whispered, "He's stronger than this."

Takeru was in the other seat. "Yeah, don't worry about him," he smiled, "This isn't going to stop him. He'll be up and around in no time."

Memories flashed through Hikari's mind; of Phelesmon snatching her during her patrol, of Taichi leading the rescue, of Wargreymon battling the demonic digimon, of that black energy attack that deleted Wargreymon from behind, of that second attack that struck Taichi…

Her ears picked up the sound of Yamato's conversation with the police officer in the corner of the waiting room. "…a blue car, I think, or it might have been light black. He just ran right through the light when Taichi was crossing…"

Daisuke plopped down next to Takeru. "How long's that story gonna last?" he whispered.

The blond glared at him and he slouched. "Well, um, the others are looking for Phelesmon now, and once they find him, we'll crush him!"

"Miss Yagami?"

Hikari had not even noticed the man in the surgical uniform standing before her. "Y-yes," she said, allowing Takeru and Sora to help her stand.

The doctor sighed. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but your brother…"

Hikari was not aware of when her parents arrived at the hospital, not aware that Yamato and Sora drove her home, not aware of anything for the next two days. She had been excused from school, and spent much of her time lying in her bed, staring at the darkness in the room. Her blinds were shut, the lamps silenced. She knew it was ironic, would have laughed if she could; the child of light wrapping herself of her own choice in the darkness.

It was her fault!

Takeru had said how sorry he was, all of her friends said how sorry they were, but why were they apologizing? It was not their fault that _she_ was captured, not their fault that _she_ was so weak she could not save herself, not their fault that _she_ always put everyone's lives in danger because sick, evil digimon were always after her.

And her brother had paid the price for her faults, her weaknesses, her problems. Who would be next? Takeru, Yamato, Sora…

It would be better for everyone if she wasn't around.

She crawled out of bed and slid into the hall. No sound in the living room, no sound in the bedrooms, her parents were out; no doubt tending to the last of Taichi's arrangements. She stepped into the kitchen, her eyes focused on the large knife her mother used to cut everything from vegetables to meat. She placed the cold steel on her wrist and slid.

The pain shot up her arm like molten fire.

The darkness clawed at her. She pushed deeper.

The pain doubled, but the darkness pulsed stronger.

Her fault. All her fault! Everyone gets hurt because of her! Everyone dies because of her!

The hot pain...

The burning darkness…

She couldn't take it anymore. She threw the knife into the counter's cutting board and clamped her free hand over her wrist, yanking paper towels free with her teeth. She removed her hand and gave a short laugh; all that and she had barely broken the skin. She really was weak.

The door opened. Her eyes shifted in panic but focused on the hanging fruit basket. She pulled out an apple and dropped it onto the cutting board just as her mother stepped into the kitchen.

"Hikari!" she cried, "W-what are you…"

The girl forced a smile. "I was trying to cut an apple and the knife slipped…"

Her mother didn't believe her, who would believe such a pathetic liar? But upon seeing her terrible job, her mother chuckled. "Oh, it's not bad at all. A few bandages and it'll be fine." She smiled at her daughter, "You need to be more careful."

The others were fooled just the same. No one even noticed the faint scar at the funeral.

She sat there in a simple dark grey skirt and jacket, along with a black blouse. She did find herself smiling at how nice the others looked in their own formal wear, even Daisuke, who hated his school uniform, was there in suit and tie.  
The smile did not last long before the sadness, the guilt, the darkness pushed it away. She sobbed, she wailed, she cried throughout the service. Mimi and Sora cried as well, and even Yamato shed a few tears, but no one carried on like a child like her.

Takeru approached her during the reception. "I know I've said it before, but I'm really sorry."

"You shouldn't be," she said, "It's my fault."

He blinked. "What? How's it your fault?"

"Taichi got killed because he was rescuing me, right? If I wasn't so weak, so pathetic then…"

Yamato suggested that Takeru take her home.

"B-but I can't," she sniffled, "It's gonna look so bad if Taichi's own sister can't…"

"We'll cover for you," Yamato said, "And I'll tell your parents."

Takeru gently took hold of her arm. "Come on."

The sadness, the guilt, the darkness had sapped away her strength, she had nothing left to argue. She nodded and followed him from the hall. They had only made it a few blocks before the skies open and the deluge began.

"My place is closer," Takeru cried over the roar of the rain.

Hikari nodded her approval. Once inside the apartment, they shook off the rain as best they could. "I thought it was supposed to be sunny today," Takeru said.

Hikari followed him into the kitchen. "Mom's still covering the election."

She nodded; Miss Takaishi had sent her condolences before.

"Do you want some tea?" he asked.

She nodded again and sat at the table. "Thank you."

A few moments later, her hands curled around the cup as she let the steam billow around her face. Takeru was sipping his own drink. He invited her over, made her something to drink, she needed to talk to him. "I, um, haven't been keeping up with my Chosen duties. What's, um, going on with everyone?"

"Yamato and Daisuke are arguing over a policy for if this happens again," he sighed, "I think the bigger issue is that they're butting heads over who's in charge now. How's Plotmon?"

"I don't know," she said, "I told her to stay in the Digital World for a while." She sighed, "We all know what happened the last time I got like this; the best thing for her is to stay far away from me right now." Her fingers tightened around the cup, "I'm just too dangerous to have a Mega digimon."

"No you're not," he said, "And besides, we all lost our Megas when we formed Omegamon Merciful Mode. Only Yamato and Taichi still have…"

He caught himself and wince. "Sorry, I'm really not good at this, am I?"

She blinked. "What? I'm the one who should say I'm sorry. I'm the one who always gets everyone hurt…"

He stood. "Let me see if I have some old clothes you can borrow."

She nodded and followed him into his bedroom. He searched through his dresser and handed her a faded pair of jeans and a dark t-shirt. "Here. Get out of those clothes before you catch cold."

"Takeru, I…"

Their eyes locked and an unspoken statement was understood. They moved closer, Takeru gently taking her head in his hands, Hikari letting her eyes close as their lips locked.

The sadness, the guilt, clawed at her mind.

But as the act went on, the darkness faded.

Takeru called the Yagamis later that night and explained they ran to his apartment to escape the rain, and that Hikari had fallen asleep and he did not want to disturb her. Mrs. Yagami accepted this, because she knew how difficult her daughter had been sleeping, but if she had any suspicions about what really happened, she kept them to herself.

Until she entered her daughter's room a week later. "Hikari, do you have a stash of pads in here?"

Her daughter looked up from her makeup homework. "No, Mom. Are we out?"

Her mother hesitated. "No, just the opposite." She swallowed, "Are you…late?"

Hikari paled. "I…with everything going on, I didn't even realize that…"

Her mother nodded. "Wait there." She vanished into the hall and returned a moment later with a box. "Here."

Hikari's heart dropped; it was a pregnancy test. "Mom, I…"

Her mother held up her finger. "Just take it."

The girl nodded and entered the bathroom. She emerged with tears streaming down her face. "Mom, I…"

Mrs. Yagami held up her finger again. "Tell me. How many boys and how many times."

"I…"

"And don't lie to me!" she snapped.

Hikari swallowed. "Takeru and only once."

"The night of Taichi's funeral?"

"Y-yes, but that was it, I swear!"

"What are we going to tell your father?"

They had called Mr. Ishida and Miss Takaishi, who arrived with Takeru in tow. The two teenagers sat in the living room while their parents spoke in the kitchen.

"I'm sorry this happen," Takeru said, "I'm sorry I let myself get carried away."

Hikari shook her head. "I wanted it to happen. That…that night was such a relief, such a break from everything." She sighed, "But this is my punishment."

He blinked. "Punishment?"

Their parents entered the room. Takeru jumped to his feet and bowed in front of the Yagamis. "Sir, Ma'am, I'm sorry that…"

"Save it!" Mr. Yagami barked. He looked at his daughter, "We've decided that since you're both sixteen, this choice is yours. Are you going to keep the baby or not?"

Hikari rested her hand on her stomach. "I can't abort it. I took a life from this world, and now I have to bring one into it."

Their parents gasped. "Hikari," Mrs. Yagami said, "What are you saying?"

Takeru frowned. "Hikari, it's not your fault that Taichi…"

"Yes it is!" she sobbed, "It's all because of me that he's gone!"

"But that digimon took you, right?" her mother asked, "It wasn't your fault that…"

"Yes it was," she cried, "It's me he wanted, it me they always want!" She wrapped her arms around her torso, "And Taichi paid the price. This is my punishment, I have to accept it."

* * *

Yamato stood on the cliff in the Digital World, his eyes searching the desert below him. "How certain are you that he's here?" Gabumon questioned.

"Latest surveillance said so," Yamato responded.

His partner was quiet for another moment. "The sun's already rising. If he likes the dark so much, he's not going to show himself now."

"He'll make a mistake, he'll show himself."

"…How?"

"I don't know!" he snapped.

Gabumon winced and Yamato sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"There you two are."

Birdramon descended from the sky and Sora hoped off. "Have you been out here all night?"

"Couldn't sleep."

Gabumon yawned. "Which meant I couldn't either."

"He's out there," Yamato said, "I'm gonna find that bastard and then rip out his heart, if he even has one."

Sora frowned. "Yamato, I know that it's tough, it's been tough on all of us, but you can't shoulder this by yourself…"

"I'm the one who can," he said, "I'm the one with the Mega digimon." His fingers clenched into a fist, "And for what he did to Taichi, for what he he's doing to Hikari…!" He slammed his fist into a tree.

"Yamato!" Sora gasped. She rushed over and examined his knuckles. They were raw and bleeding.

"What if her parents disown her?" he asked as Sora wrapped her handkerchief around his hand.

"I don't think the Yagamis would…"

"But what if they do?"

Sora sighed softy. "Yamato, what's this really about?"

"I should have been watching her, I should have seen what she was going through."

She blinked. "Hikari? Yamato, I love Hikari like a sister, but…but she and Takeru made their choice."

"But I could have stopped them…should have stopped them, should have watched her like Taichi would…"

He slammed his other hand into the tree. "If I had only been a few seconds faster I could have back them up! Taichi and Wargreymon might still be here if…"

"Yamato," Gabumon frowned, "We were going as fast as we could…"

Sora stared at her boyfriend. "Yamato, you need to stop this." She wrapped his other hand, "I'm running out of handkerchiefs."

He stared at her and then chuckled. That chuckle erupted into a full laugh that echoed through the morning sky.

"It wasn't that funny," she said.

Her cellphone ring cut through the moment. "Yes…. _What_?"

Yamato swallowed. "What now?"

"That was Takeru. We need to get to Hikari right away!" she said.

* * *

Hikari emerged from her bedroom to the sight of her father having breakfast at the table; he was usually gone before she awoke. "Good morning," she smiled.

Her father stared at her, eyes a mixture of rage and sorrow. Their relationship had been reduced to a few obligatory greetings the past few days. "Morning."

Her mother's eyes were more of a mix of sadness and worry, though a glint of happiness appeared today. "That's the first time you smiled in the morning since your brother's death."

"That's because I had great news last night. Everything's going to be okay."

"How?" her father barked.

She grinned. "Taichi told me in a dream that he was going to reincarnate as my child."

Author's note: Well, what do you think? Interesting? Weird? Should I continue?


	2. Chapter 2

Should have said this in last chapter, but spoilers for the end of Tri.

 **Samsara**

 ** **Chapter 2****

Hikari was tired of repeating herself, tired of telling the same story over and over, tired of trying to convince everyone what she knew to be true.

She stared at her friends seated around her in Yamato and Sora's living room like a trial. "Last night," she said, stressing every word, "Taichi came to me in my dream. He said that he was going to come back as my child."

They glanced at each other, silent statements passing between them. "Um, that's…great," Mimi said.

Her forced smile betrayed that statement. "You don't believe me, do you?" Hikari asked.

"No!" Sora gasped, "No, we…um…"

Jyou cleared his throat. "Hikari, why would Taichi choose to reincarnate as your child? That's going to completely change your relationship…"

"Maybe he didn't have a choice. Maybe he was told that was going to happen, I don't know." She looked at her stomach. "All I know is I'm going to be the best mother to Taichi I can be."

Takeru rested his hand on her shoulder. "Hikari, I want to believe too, but…"

She stared at him. "You need to believe, you're going to be his father."

He nodded, a strange smile on his face. He did not believe, none of them believed!

She frowned. "I thought you all would be happy."

"We are!" Sora exclaimed, "We just…"

Yamato sighed, "Hikari, we all wish Taichi was still here, but…"

"But what?" she asked, "Why is it so hard to believe? Digimon reconfigure in Primary Village, don't they? Why not us too?"

Their eyes locked with each other again, their faces a different expression this time. They turned to Koushiro. "Um," he paled, "I don't know. Maybe if Taichi's body turned to data then…"

"But we just buried him," Mimi said, a tear escaping down her face.

"Should we check?" Daisuke asked. All eyes glared at him and Miyako opened her mouth. "Just to make sure that it didn't turn into data!" he protested.

"I'm not digging him up," Yamato snapped, "Let him rest in peace."

"He's not there anyway," Hikari said, "The most important part of him is here…" She placed a hand on her stomach, "…with me."

Daisuke threw his hand into the air. "That's it! This is too weird for me."

"Daisuke!" Miyako snapped.

They were uncomfortable; let them be. She wanted them to celebrate with her, but if ridicule was what they would give her, she would do it by herself. She turned to Takeru and took hold of his hand. "Please," she whispered, "He will be your child too."

Takeru looked away. The pain, the sadness, the darkness, which had lessened that night with him, which had vanished early that morning, was creeping back.

He turned back. "Okay," he said, "You've always been…I don't know, in tune with this kind of stuff. If you believe that strongly, then I maybe I need to trust you."

"Thank you, Takeru!" she cried, wrapping her arms around him, "Thank you."

"What about Agumon?" Ken asked, "Would he reconfigure if Taichi was dead?"

"He's a Digimon, that's what they do," Daisuke said.

Ken shook his head. "No, when Wormmon was deleted and reconfigured, _I_ was still here, but if a Chosen Digimon's partner was dead, would he or she come back?"

Takeru nodded in agreement, "And if Agumon did come back, maybe he could tell us if Taichi was…" He glanced at Hikari.

"I don't need Agumon to tell me," she said, "I know that Taichi's inside me right now." Her cheeks turned crimson, a slight giggle escaping her lips. "Okay, _that_ sounded weird."

"Perverted, more like it," Daisuke mumbled, which only resulted in another glare from Miyako.

"The Digimon have been keeping an eye out in the Primary Villages," Koushiro said, "But so far, none of the digieggs have hatched into a Botamon with past memories."

Yamato cleared his throat. "Well, um, since we're all together now, we need to talk about Phelesmon."

"What's there to talk about?" Daisuke grumbled, "The coward's hiding."

"But he's still out there, and we have every reason to believe that he'll go after Hikari again."

She shivered, hands wrapped around herself.

"So I think that it would be a good idea if Hikari didn't go into the Digital World until he's taken care of."

"Isn't that a little strict?" Takeru asked.

"Maybe it's not such a bad idea," Hikari said, "I don't want to risk any injury now."

"And one of us should be with her at all times."

Now the protests emerged. "Yamato, I'll be fine if I stay on Earth," she said.

"Digimon have crossed over before. It's to keep you safe. We need to keep our eye on you. Especially now."

Takeru shook his head. "Yamato, I don't think the Yagamis are going to like suddenly having houseguests."

Daisuke snickered. "Yeah, didn't Mr. Yagami threaten to kill you if you showed up at the apartment?"

A crimson red filled the blonde's face; was it embarrassment or rage?

Sora placed a hand on his arm. "Yamato, I want to keep Hikari safe as much as any of us, but don't you think that's a little extreme? And Takeru's right, we can't move into the Yagami's apartment, even if we take turns."

"Yes, I know," he replied, blue eyes focused with ice-hard resolve, "She should move in here."

Hikari smiled. "Yamato, thank you for thinking about me so much, but I can't leave my parent's place, especially since Taichi's not here right now."

"This isn't up for discussion," Yamato said, "You can move in here when…"

Sora glared at him. "Yamato!" She turned to Hikari, "Please forgive him. You are, of course, welcome to stay here whenever you like."

Hikari glanced at the clock. "I should probably get back. I have some more homework to finish." A smile came to her face, "At least I should be able to finish year 1 of high school before I leave for good."

"Let me walk you home," Takeru offered.

* * *

Once Hikari and Takeru had left, the Chosen sat in silence for a long while until Daisuke cleared his throat. "So, we're gonna talk about this, right?"

Mimi sighed. "Poor girl."

Sora sighed, memories of Taichi and Hikari filling her mind. "We all knew how…attached she was to her brother. We should have seen something like this coming."

"Not just that," Mimi said, "She always had that persecution complex…"

Jyou shook his head. "No, that's not entirely right. She definitely had self-esteem issues, especially in regards to Taichi, but this might be full-blown psychosis."

"I didn't know you were a psychiatrist now," Daisuke smirked.

He shrugged. "Psych 101's required."

"My point is," Mimi said, "Who knew it would get this bad? We need to do something before she completely loses her mind." She turned to Jyou, "Can you remind me what happens if a mother is unfit to raise a child?"

"I would imagine the father would be given precedence."

Koushiro flashed a slight smile. "Maybe Ken is on to something. If Agumon has reconfigured, and if we can find him, then maybe we'll know for sure."

Yamato nodded. "So, until then, I guess we need to keep an open mind. Koushiro, do you have a better way to find Agumon besides just checking out all the different Primary Villages in the Digital World?"

He shook his head. "Sorry."

The blond was silent for a time. "What about a special signal or something?"

"No, nothing like that. If we had Taichi's digivice then…"

Yamato rose from the couch and entered his bedroom. He returned a moment later with a charred and cracked object, one that everyone recognized.

Mimi gasped, "Yamato, is that…?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"You've had Taichi's digivice all along?" Sora shouted.

Daisuke glared, eyes narrowed. "And what you were planning on doing with that? Nailing it to the wall with the rest of your music trophies?"

"They're awards!" he snapped, "And I was going to give this to Hikari when she started feeling like herself again." He sighed, "Obviously that never happened."

Koushiro took the device from Yamato, but held it in his hands like an ancient treasure unearthed after centuries. "I think Hikari still needs to have…"

"This is to help her," Yamato said, "We can either confirm what she's saying, or help her realize that she needs help, now more than ever. Maybe we can convince her parents to let us stay there for…"

Sora rose from the couch. "Thank you all," she bowed, "I'm sorry, but Yamato and I need to discuss some things, in private."

"Someone's in trouble," Daisuke snickered as the Chosen exited the apartment. Sora shut the door and turned on her boyfriend.

"What is wrong with you?"

He blinked. "Nothing is wrong with me. We need to protect Hikari…"

"You're getting just as bad as she is!" Sora snapped, "Yamato, I understand you feel that you need to watch out for her since Taichi's no longer here, but it's not your fault that Taichi died, and it's not Hikari's either. "

She marched over and wrapped his hands in hers, "Please, Yamato, please understand that. I can't worry about you and Hikari at the same time."

His gaze into her eyes remained for a long time. He finally sighed. "Okay."

Sora placed her head on his lap. "Thank you."

* * *

 _One Month Earlier_

"I will never forgive you for this."

Once it was said, it could not be unsaid, once the words were spoken, they could not be taken back like someone erasing them from existence. A desperate plea to save her friend's digimon, but Taichi said Meicoomon was too far gone. She did not believe that, did not want to believe that there was no way to save her, wanted to argue with him, make him see how wrong he was. Instead, she stood with him; he was her brother and she would not let him fight alone.

But the words still hung in the air.

When she woke that morning it was exactly two years to that day. She knew how she would feel, she had felt the same the previous year, but did nothing to try and alleviate her prophesized mood. She dressed in her high school uniform, did her hair, made up her face, and presented herself to the world as the cheerful, happy teenager. Most days it was not an act, but today it would be.

She ate her breakfast at the table, presenting the smiling, cheerful face to her mother, while her mind churned with the memory of Meicoomon, burned with the words said to her brother.

She would not forgive him today, as she had not forgiven him on this day a year ago. It was okay the day before, and would be okay the day after.

But not today.

"Hikari," Mrs Yagami called from the laundry room, "Your brother's going to be late for his University class. Can you go wake him?"

She pretended not to hear. He was nineteen, she was sixteen; neither one needed to depend on the other anymore.

She had woken him the day before, and would wake him the day after.

But not today.

She was not needed anyway. A moment later Taichi ran from his room, pulling on his shirt while simultaneously yanking up his pants. He slipped on his shoes, grabbed his books from the table and was out the door.

His mother, accustomed to his late mornings, had prepared breakfast in a small box for him to eat on the train.

And he had forgotten it again.

He was probably not even at the elevator yet. She could take it to him, shout to him down the building hall.

She had done that the morning before, and would do the same the morning after.

But not today.

It was her turn for patrol. She told her school friends that she had to head home early that afternoon. She had already damaged too many school uniforms, and was going to change before heading into Digital World.

Taichi was at the table, shoveling noodles into his mouth from a takeout box. "Didn't you get my texts?"

She blinked and pulled her phone from her pocket. She had not notice, had not wanted to notice. "Sorry."

He frowned. He knew how she would be, knew how she was last year. "I just wanted to know if maybe you wanted to get some ice cream."

She blinked. "Ice cream?"

He smiled. "Yeah, grab Plotmon and I'll treat you to a strawberry vanilla sundae from the corner store?"

That had not been her favorite flavor, or ice cream shop, in quite some time.

"Sorry, but it's my turn for patrol."

"Why don't I go with you then?"

She blinked. "Why?"

"I…" He turned away, "I don't know. I just have this feeling that something bad's going to happen."

She smiled. "I'll be fine. I've done this hundreds of times before."

"Yeah, but…"

She walked to her room. She had not needed him to protect her for two years now.

"I'm fine, Taichi."

She had not called him 'Oniichan,' in two years either.

* * *

 _Present Time_

Hikari fought back the tears as she sat on the bus. Why did she ignore him? Why did she act so stubborn? Once in the Digital World, Phelesmon attacked as if he had been waiting for her. He took her, brought her back to his lair. He wanted to snuff out the light once and for all.

And then her brother arrived. He had followed her into the Digital World, but arrived too late to stop the abduction. So he instead followed them, he and Wargreymon stopped the devil before his knife would have sliced her neck.

By the time she had broken free of her bonds and was ready to evolve Plotmon, the battle was over.

Wargreymon was gone, and Taichi was dead.

She smiled as she placed her hand on her stomach. But his soul was there, inside her, waiting to come into the world again.

She was ecstatic when she had the dream, overjoyed when her brother appeared before her.

"I've got another chance, Hikari, I couldn't really take it until now, but since you're pregnant, I'm coming back as your child."

It was because of her that he had died, and it will be because of her that he would live again.

Her mother greeted her when she returned home. "Hi, honey. How do it go?"

"They didn't believe me," Hikari said as she sat on the couch, "But I think they will. They'll certainly be happy when Taichi comes back."

Mrs. Yagami joined her on the couch. "You believe me, right?" Hikari asked.

"Sure!" she blurted, "Of course…"

The teenager grinned. "You'll be able to help me take care of him, of course." Her face lit up, "You'll be able to raise him again! Grandma wasn't around so much, so I'm sure he'll love having his new grandmother around."

Her mother sighed. "Hikari, when I opened the blinds in your room, I saw that book on your desk, the one about Hinduism?"

"Yes?"

"They believe in reincarnation, right?"

She nodded.

"How long have you had that?"

"I borrowed it from the library after Taichi died."

"And aren't some of your friends Buddhists?"

Hikari frowned. "What are you asking?"

Her mother hesitated. "Um, don't you think that maybe you just had that dream because the idea might have already been in your head?"

The darkness crept at her heart. "No! It was Taichi, I know it was Taichi!"

Mrs. Yagami held up her hands. "Okay, okay."

Hikari swallowed. "You do believe me, right, Mom?"

Mrs. Yamagi rose to her feet. "I'm going through Taichi's stuff right now. I want to donate a lot of it."

"Maybe we should keep it," Hikari said, "When he gets older again."

Mrs. Yagami struggled for words, "Um, w-why don't we just donate them? Who knows how fashion will change in twenty years?"

She considered this. "Yeah, you're probably right. I'll have to buy him baby stuff anyway. What about his sports trophies?"

"I'm going to put those into storage," she said, "Maybe find a place to display some of them."

"What about his journals?"

Mrs. Yagami blinked. "His what?"

"His journals. He was writing in them for a while now."

She sighed. "He didn't tell me he had journals." She walked into his room, muttering, "Surprised he even told me about the Digital World."

Hikari followed her mother into Taichi's room. Everything was the same as that day. Before that morning, she would not, could not, step into the room; the darkness was too strong, clawed at her heart, her soul.

Now she marched to the corner and pulled up a loose, square section of floorboard. A stack of spiral notebooks rested between two I-beams. "When was he going to tell us about that?" Mrs. Yagami sighed, rubbing her eyes, "He drove me crazy some…" She stared at her daughter. "When did he tell _you_ about that?"

Hikari searched her memories. "I…I don't know."

Mrs. Yagami sighed and returned the floorboard. Hikari smiled and looked at her torso.

* * *

They had convinced Hikari to allow Plotmon to return to her. "Just promise me that if you feel like you did the last time, you'll run as far as you can. Maybe not being so close to me won't make you Dark Evolve again."

The small digimon grinned. "Oh, come on Hikari, that won't happen again."

Hikari could see from the expressions on the faces of Takeru and Sora that they were not so sure. "A partner's mood can affect a digimon's evolution," Takeru said, "We've seen it before."

She frowned. "Yeah, with me and Taichi." She sighed and brought her feet onto the couch, hugging her knees to her chest. "Remember how terrifying SkullGreymon was? How scared we were about what happened? Taichi was so afraid that he had damaged Agumon."

Sora and Takeru stared at one another. "But Hikari, you weren't there, remember?"

She blinked. "O-oh, right."

Sora smiled. "Taichi really confided in you, huh? He never told me that."

"Besides," Plotmon grinned, "Ophanimon Falldown Mode was just a fluke. You evolved me to Holydramon, right?"

Hikari frowned as she stared at her feet. "I couldn't even make a proper angel, just a dragon." She sighed, "A beast that destroys everything, just like me." Her smile returned, "But I'm making up for it now. It'll be so great to have Taichi here again."

Sora gave an uncomfortable laugh. "Um, I think I need to get going."

"Yeah, me too," Takeru said, "Um, when's your next doctor's appointment?"

"In a week," she said, "They want to do some more blood tests."

"Let me know and I'll go with you. That's my child too."

Hikari grinned. "Oh, Takeru, thank you."

Once they had exited, Plotmon studied her partner and then stared at her stomach. "I'm guessing from their reaction that this isn't a typical thing for humans."

"It depends on what you believe."

"And you're sure?" Plotmon asked.

Hikari grinned. "I'm sure."

 _One Month Later-One Month Pregnant_

Her father had told her he had made her a doctor's appointment. "Another one?" she asked. She did not realize how many doctors pregnant women had.

"This isn't your regular doctor," he said. She waited for more, but there was no further explanation. She wanted to repair their damaged relationship, or at least maintain the cordial one they now had, so she returned to her room to get ready.

What would she wear? Was this going to be an examination, or another consulting meeting? Her father was in suit and tie, even though he was not going to work, so probably just a quick discussion in the doctor's office; something semi-formal would do.

Her blouse seemed a little tight, and she did not require a belt with her blue skirt. Was she starting to show already? Hopefully not, only one more month for the school term, and she would at least finish freshmen year before leaving.

The ride to the doctors was made in silence. Hikari did ask where her mother was, and her father replied curtly, "She had some errands to run."

Was it because of their argument last night? Hikari knew it was about her. Why were they so stressed? Why couldn't they be happy that Taichi was coming back?

The car pulled into the parking garage of a building Hikari had not visited before. Her father exited without words, and Hikari did the same. She followed him through the halls until he stopped in front of a door with a bronze name plate: Koji Ikuto, Mental Health.

Her heart froze. They…they really thought she was crazy. "Dad…"

"Inside," he barked, "We're late."

She remained in the waiting room while her father spoke to the doctor first. What was he telling him? Her father was just wrong about this, wrong, wrong, wrong!

The door opened and her father appeared. "Go on in," he commanded.

A few minutes later, she was speaking to Dr. Ikuto; an elderly gentlemen with a kind face. "So, tell me what brings you here today, Miss Yagami."

What would she say? Her father was the one with the problem, not her!

Dr. Ikuto smiled. "Well, your father tells me that you're pregnant?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"And you're keeping the child?"

"I have to."

"Why is that?"

She hesitated. What to tell him? Maybe if she could convince him, make him believe, then her father would as well. But could she tell him about the Digital World? Digimon were well known at this point, but if she told him she was a Chosen, would he believe her or report her to the authorities?

"Miss Yagami," he said, smiling once again, "You can tell me anything."

"My older brother was killed."

"And the child is his?"

"No, he _is_ my child. I mean, my child is his reincarnation."

The doctor nodded. "And why do you feel that way?"

"Because he told me in a dream."

"But why come back as your child? Wouldn't that be a strain on your relationship?"

She sighed. "It's because of me that he died, so this is how I can make things right."

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You're responsible for his death."

"I was taken by a…um, by some gang members. Taichi came to save me, but he was killed."

"I am sorry to hear that, but how is it your fault? You seem to be just as much a victim."

Victim, yes, that was it, she was always the victim. "Because I'm too weak and powerless to save myself, because I always put everyone's lives in danger. People always get hurt because of me. I took Taichi's life, but now I'm giving it back to him." She smiled. "Please doctor, that's why you have to help me convince my father that it's true, that Taichi's coming back. Please?"

Dr. Ikuto was quiet for a long while. "I'm going to bring your father in."

She waited while he summoned her father over the phone system. He stepped inside and sat next to her.

Dr. Ikuto looked over his notepad. "Miss Yagami," he finally said, "You feel so much guilt, undeserved guilt, mind you, over your brother's death that you feel like you need to fix things. You believe that you caused your brother's death, and once you found out you were pregnant, you convinced yourself that this was how you would give his life back."

Her heart raced again. "No! No, that's not true! Taichi came to me, he told me!"

"Miss Yagami," he said, "If you want to start getting better, you need to understand this."

She understood, finally understood. Her father thought she had lost her mind; what if they took the child away from her once he was born? She had promised Taichi she would be a great mother to him; how could she do that locked in an asylum?

"Yes doctor," she said, voice almost monotone, "I understand."

Dr. Ikuto smiled. "We'll scheduled another session. Together, we can help you through this."

"Of course," she answer, "Of course."

* * *

The ride from the doctors was worse than the ride to the doctors. She refused to even look at her father, and when her mother asked how things went, Hikari's response was to slam the door to her room. She did, however, press her ear against the wall.

"The doctor said she has a guilt complex and a delusional disorder," her father said.

Her mother cried. "My poor baby. Can he help her?"

"We're supposed to go back for another session next week."

Hikari crawled into her bed, tears flowing freely into her pillow.

"Hikari?"

Plotmon was curled near the far corner. She dried her eyes, "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

A yawn escaped her mouth. "What's wrong?"

"My parents think I'm crazy."

She frowned. "But you're not, right?"

Hikari giggled; it was easy to forget how naïve their partners became in their Child forms. She squeezed her partner. "Oh Plotmon, thank you."

Plotmon gasped. "Hikari, something's wrong!"

Ophanimon Falldown Mode! She jumped back and flung her arms to her open computer. "Go back to the Digital World! Hurry! Maybe you won't…"

"It's not that," she said, "Something else!" She hopped over the bed and slammed into the door with enough force to render it into splinters. Hikari's partners were pressed against the corner of the living room, a digimon standing in front of them.

Hikari's mind flashed; Phelesmon taunting her, two digimon at his side: one a bipedal rabbit, the other a pot-bellied red humanoid.

"Boogiemon!" she gasped.

The devil digimon turned to her. "The Light Child," he sneered, tongue licking lips, "Master has been looking for you."

She skidded back as Plotmon charged. "You're not taking her! Plotmon evolve to Tailmon!"

Before the demon could react, Tailmon's fist connected with his nose. "Neko Punch!" He flew backwards, crashing into the wall. Pictures fell to the floor, glass figures fell from tops of shelves. He grabbed her by the tail and slammed her into the floor. She recovered and gave him a quick uppercut to the jaw. "Take that!"

He laughed as twin beams exploded from his eyes. "Ruby Eye!"

Tailmon rolled to safety, but the beams continued on their path. The couch was struck, flames bursting forth with no resistance.

"Get him out of here!" Hikari ordered.

Tailmon unleashed another Neko Punch, but twisted her arm at the last second. Her gloved fist struck the side of his face, and he sailed through the glass window and into the night sky.

"Demon Scream!" he shouted. Waves of ear-piercing, window-shattering, sound blasted into the night sky. The Yagami's pressed hands to their ears.

"Make it stop!" Mrs. Yagami cried.

In a leap that would be envied by gymnasts, Tailmon propelled herself off the balcony, twisted in the air and landed on Boogiemon's head. "Mega Kick!"

The demon fell from the sky, twisting himself for a counterattack, when Tailmon's eyes fired their own blasts of light. "Cat's Laser!"

The pure, white light ripped through Boogiemon's back. An unholy scream emerged from his mouth as his data scattered like the wind.

Tailmon caught herself from plummeting down the building by snagging her paw on the balcony. She propelled herself back into the apartment and regressed to Plotmon before landing in Hikari's arm. "Oh, Plotmon! Thank you."

Her father's scream brought her attention back to the living room. Broken glass and chunks of ceramic lay sprawled across the floor; wallpaper had been torn from Boogiemon's hard skin, and the couch, while still standing, had its leather facade reduced to ashes.

"Look what your damn monster did!" Mr. Yagami screamed.

Mrs. Yagami placed her hands on his shoulder, "Susumu, she saved us…"

"That thing wouldn't have been here in the first place if it wasn't for that…that creature!" he roared, pointing a gnarled finger at Plotmon.

"Dad," Hikari said, "Boogiemon was here because of me, not…"

Her father continued, rage pouring from his mouth at Plotmon. "That thing just cost us millions of yen in damages!" He twirled to his daughter, "You've cost us millions of yen, paying for the doctors, paying for the psychiatrist! Bad enough you got pregnant, bad enough you'll ruin your future by getting kicked out of school, but you're crazy too!"

He stormed into the bedroom. "Susumu?" Mrs. Yagami asked.

"I'm calling the insurance guy!" he shouted, door slamming shut.

Mrs. Yagami turned to Hikari. The teenager prepared for another assault, but her mother's eyes were soft, her voice quivering. "He's only stressed. He doesn't know how to handle that you're pregnant so young and…"

"That I'm crazy, right?" Hikari sniffled, "You all think I've lost my mind. You don't believe me at all."

"Honey," her mother said.

She moved to hug her, but Hikari wiggled from her grasp. "I told you and Dad because I wanted you to be happy that Taichi was coming back, but it just made things worse." She held back her tears, "I always make things worse, don't I?"

She moved to the door. "Hikari?" Mrs. Yagami called.

"I won't stress you and Dad out any longer." She stepped out of the apartment.

"Hikari!" Plotmon cried, "Wait up."

* * *

"I'm sorry, the Professor wanted to speak to me after class today," Sora explained as she placed a takeout box in front of Yamato, "I'll cook something tomorrow, I promise."

He smiled. "Just sitting here with you is enough."

She blushed as she plopped next to him at the table. Even in her baggy sweat pants and oversized shirt, even with her hair disheveled, she still radiated such beauty that he was tempted to pinch himself to make certain it was not a dream.

The doorbell chimed. "Coming!" Sora cried.

Yamato leaned back in his chair to see around the short wall separating their kitchen from the 'hallway.' Hikari was on the other side of the front door with Plotmon in her arms, black streaks running from her eyelids to her cheeks.

"Hikari," Sora said, "Have you been crying? Are you okay?"

"Sora, Yamato," she said, "I-I'm sorry, but, I think I'm going to have to accept your offer after all."

End of Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

Image art was made using the base at: biffsims/art/base-37-request-352338071 on deviantart.

 **Samsara**

 **Chapter 3**

Hikari placed her chopsticks on the table. "Thank you," she bowed, "Thank you for the food. It was very good."

Sora picked up the bowl. "I'll be sure to tell Mimi that her noodle store tip worked out great."

Hikari's eyes drifted to the take-out box shoved hastily into the trash. "I'll pay you back when…"

Takeru interrupted from her side. "I'll take care of it."

"Takeru," Hikari said.

He took hold of her hand. "I'll take care of you from now on, I promise."

She turned away, cheeks bright red. She had not known that Sora and Yamato were eating dinner when she arrived earlier. She was going to leave, but they could see how upset she was; after all, she had cried like a baby the bus ride over. After the explanations had come out, after she had told them about her father, Yamato was on the phone to order more take out, while Sora prepared the guest room. When the food arrived, she was pleasantly surprised to see that Takeru had accompanied it.

Patamon turned to Plotmon; all digimon partners were at the table as well. "What does this make us now?"

Plotmon shrugged. "I guess we can mate."

"Don't talk like that in front of everyone," Piyomon sighed.

Takeru gave a nervous laugh. "Um, well, like I was saying, I'll pay for mine and Hikari's meal…"

Yamato emerged from the bathroom while buckling his pants. "Don't worry about the food, we've got it."

Sora scowled at him. "Don't do that. We have company."

A giggled escaped from her lips. "S-sorry. Taichi thinks it's funny."

A strange expression crossed Sora's face. "T- _Taichi_ thinks it's funny?"

Takeru placed a hand on Hikari's stomach. "He's talking to you?"

"Not really," she said, "I just feel things, emotions."

"You're pregnant," Sora said, "That's going to happen."

She shook her head. "It's different."

Sora glanced at Yamato, who leaned forward with elbows on table, hands curled next to his face. "Um, we'll discuss that later. What about your things? Will Takeru and I be able to go over and get them?"

She frowned. "Dad's probably even angrier at me now. I'll go over tomorrow when he's at work and…"

"We'll do it," Takeru said, "We'll get whatever you need."

"What about your mother?" asked Sora, "Should I let her know you're here?"

"I texted her where I was going."

Sora rose from the table. "I'll show you the guest room."

Takeru followed then into the smaller room. It was simple, as most guest rooms usually existed. His eyes focused on the bed and he sighed. "I guess I'll sleep on the floor."

Hikari shook her head. "No, you don't have to stay. Please, I'm sure your mother would be worrying."

"Besides which," Sora said, "The two of you should not be sharing a room."

Their faced turned a similar shade of red. "W-we're not going to do anything!" Hikari protested.

"You two aren't even dating," she replied, "If you're going to stay under our roof, you're going to follow our rules."

Takeru blushed even more but Hikari giggled, which exploded into a full laugh. Sora returned the laugh and shook her head. "I'm already sounding like a housewife, aren't I? Let me get you spare clothes."

Once alone, Hikari sat on the edge of the bed, hands resting in her lap. "How is your mother?"

Takeru frowned. "Not as bad as your father, but she's angry at me. I'm not sure how my dad feels."

Hikari's hands twitched. "I…I shouldn't be here, what if Phelesmon comes after me again?"

"Hikari," Takeru sighed, "You're safer here then off on your own. Gabumon and Piyomon are here, remember?

She was not convinced. "But I'm just imposing on them."

"And where are you going to go?" he protested, "Do you want to be in a youth's shelter when you're pregnant? Yamato wants you to be here, Sora loves taking care of people. You've got so many people that care about you. "

Hikari's hands curled, soft tears in her eyes. "Takeru…"

Sora returned and handed Hikari a large nightgown. "I don't think my pajama pants would fit you."

The sixteen-year-old ran a hand over her bump.

Sora placed a hand on Takeru's shoulder. "Say goodnight. You can come over tomorrow."

A grin came to his face. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hikari."

"Good night," she called. Her eyes followed them from the room, remained on the door as it closed.

"They're really good friends, aren't they?" Plotmon asked from the bedside. Hikari had forgotten her faithful partner was at her side.

She smiled once again. "Yes, yes they are."

Once changed, Hikari stepped from her room. Yamato and Sora were seated on the couch, television turned to a comedy show. The blond man waved to the edge of the couch, "Have a seat."

"T-thank you," she blushed, "But it has been a long day, and…"

Smiles on their faced again. "Sure," Sora replied, "Good night."

Hikari bowed. "Thank you again for your hospitality and…"

Yamato shook his head, a wave of his hand. "You're pregnant with my brother's child, we're like family now."

Family? They were like family now? She swallowed, heart racing. This would be the first time she said this, first time she called them this. It would be awkward at first, but for everything they did for her, everything they would do for her, they deserved it.

"Good night Oniisan, Oneesan."

 _One Month Later-Two Months Pregnant_

"Good day everyone," the homeroom teacher bowed, "And I wish you all a pleasant spring holiday and hope to see all of you in the next term."

The students exhaled a collective sigh. They had made it through another school year; and while many of them would return, a few had already put plans into motion to transfer to other high schools come April. For Hikari, however, it was a different feeling entirely.

 _"My last day of school forever,"_ she sighed, " _At least I can say I finished Freshman year."_

She rose to her feet, hands grasping her desk. She was still not use to Taichi's extra weight throwing off her balance. A few of her female friends had raised their eyebrows over her expanding waistline, but she had brushed it off as stress-eating. Another month, and her true condition would have become obvious.

She adjusted her skirt, tugged down a little on her blouse. She picked up her empty lunch box and frowned; admitting that a few of those extra pounds were _not_ from the baby.

Takeru pushed through the crowd to her. "Ready?" he asked.

She exhaled, head shaking. "No, but, I have to do it."

" _We_ have to," he corrected.

"Don't, please," she said, "You might not be kicked out, but things won't be the same for you."

"I'm not letting you take on everything yourself," he said, a reassuring smile on his face.

"Yo guys!" Daisuke waved, "Another year done, huh?"

Takeru frowned, eyes glaring. "Just trying to lighten the mood," the other boy sighed, "You're still going through with it then?"

He nodded, hand around Hikari's shoulder. "Want me to come along too?" he asked, "You know, for support."

Hikari smiled. "There's really no need for that, but thank you." Breath filled her lungs, "No going back now."

They walked past Daisuke, the goggle-wearer and the blond giving each other a high-five. "Good luck, man," Daisuke said.

The teenage couple marched through the school halls, tears in Hikari's eyes. "I'll never be here again."

"We can still think of another way," Takeru replied.

She shook her head. "No, I need to do this. It's my punishment…"

He sighed. "Hikari, please don't start talking like that again."

She winced, but head nodded in agreement. "Okay."

The principal was behind his desk. "Ah, Miss Yagami. Mr. Takaishi. What can I do for you?"

Hikari bowed and sat down. Takeru stood beside her. "Please forgive me for interrupting you, sir."

He shrugged. "Just a few last minute things."

She opened her mouth once more, but no sound emerged. She had gone over in her mind a thousand times what to say, but now the words struggled against each other. "I, um, I'm sorry to say that I won't be coming back…"

He frowned. "Miss Yagami, all transfer paperwork needed to be completed by…"

"She's not transferring," Takeru barked, "She's leaving school."

Eyebrows raised. "Leaving? Miss Yagami, I understand how stressful things must be since your brother passed, and I understand you are no longer living at home, but…" His voice faded, eyes locked on the way Takeru's hand was on her shoulder, then to her abdomen.

"I see. Well, there's nothing left to discuss then."

Takeru's eye flashed red. "Don't dismiss her like that. You don't know what she's been through."

"Takeru," she whispered, "its okay."

"I understand what she's been through," the principal said, "But the rules are clear."

Hikari stood. "Takeru, come on. It's part of my punishment."

Takeru winced, the principal stood. "Punishment?"

The girl nodded. "For my brother's death. I need to let him be born again…."

Takeru's hands on her back guided her to the door. "Thank you," he said to the principal, "Thank you for seeing us."

Once outside, Hikari's eyes remained focused on the ground. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have said that, but it just slipped out…"

Takeru sighed. "It's fine. I lost my temper back there too."

They were surprised to see Sora waiting at the apartment. "What about your classes?" Hikari asked.

"I was more concerned about you," she said, hands motioning to the couch. The couple sat, Sora handed them glasses of tea. "How did it go?"

"I messed up again," Hikari frowned, "I almost told him that Taichi's going to be my child."

"I lost my temper too," Takeru blurted.

"I suppose it doesn't matter anyway," Sora sighed, "Since you won't be going back. Um, speaking about that…" She grabbed a stack of papers from her desk, "I have the names of some private tutors. You might not have a high school graduation certificate, but you'll at least have a high school education."

Hikari's face could not determine whether she was happy or sad. "But Sora, you can't afford…"

"Don't worry about that," she smiled, "I told you, me and Yamato are better off than you think."

"Where is Yamato, anyway?"

"Uh, he had some things to take care of, but, I did speak to your mother earlier. How'd you like to go shopping for baby clothes tonight?"

Her heart fluttered. "J-just us?"

"Well, we decided I should come along too, just in case one of Phelesmon's goons show up."

Hikari turned to Takeru. "But didn't you want to…"

"You should see your mother," he nodded, "Go ahead."

The sixteen-year-old raced to her room. Plotmon yawned from where she was curled up at the end of the bed. "You're home."

"It's okay," she giggled, "I'm just going out for a while, you can go back to sleep."

Plotmon stretched, circled around the bed once more before plopping back to sleep.

The guest room's closet had so far been reserved for her school uniforms and a few maternity dresses. Sora had tried to buy her appropriate clothes for her condition the first weekend she arrived, but even the smallest size was too large for her. They ordered clothes online, and Hikari felt sadness not only at how many teenage girls needed such a selection, but also that many of them could not afford it.

She removed the spare uniforms and tossed them into an empty box in the corner. No use keeping those anymore; there were certainly girls in the area that could use them.

She changed out of her uniform and into a pink maternity dress that reached her knees. Winter and spring were still battling outside, so she choose black leggings as well. She examined her reflection; the dress left no question that she was pregnant.

"No use hiding it any longer," she mumbled, exiting the room.

All Takeru could say was, "Wow," and lay a hand on her baby bump.

"Your mother's going to be waiting for us," Sora said, "We'd better get moving."

"Okay, Oneesan, I'm ready."

They met Mrs. Yagami at the entrance to the local mall. "Hikari!" she cried, arms wrapped tight around her child, "How are you doing? Are you okay?"

The sixteen-year-old returned the embrace. "I'm okay, Mom, things are okay."

She pushed her daughter back, eyes studying her from head to toe. "Wow, you look so beautiful."

Hikari blushed. "Mom!"

Mrs. Yagami bowed to Sora. "Thank you for taking care of my daughter and my grandchild."

"I'm happy to do it."

"But Mom, you're okay, right?" Hikari asked, "You would tell us if you were being threatened by more evil digimon because of me, right?"

"Yes, of course I would."

"Koushiro thinks that Boogiemon just got lucky when he found us that night," Hikari continued, "And since Tailmon destroyed him before he reported back, you should be safe." Her mouth twitched, "I'm sorry, Mom, that was all my fault…"

Sora placed her hands on the teenager's shoulders. "We're not going to think about that right now, right?"

Mrs. Yagami nodded, her face all smiles as well. "When was the last time we went out shopping?"

Hikari searched her memories. "I…I can't even remember."

They walked into the infant clothing section. Hikari caught the attention of everyone and whispers emerged between their fellow customers. "Just ignore them," Mrs. Yagami whispered.

Hikari's ears resounded with their words.

"No discipline, that's the problem with kids today."

"They don't have the patience to just wait until they're out of school."

"She's going to miss out on her education."

"I bet she sleeps with every boy she meets."

The last criticism had come from a young woman only slightly older than Sora. The redhead's eyes burned. "I'll teach that little bitch something…"

"Sora, please," Hikari said, hands tugging on her arm.

Mrs. Yagami pulled a onesie from the rack. "How about this one?"

It was blue, but contained an image of a firetruck. "I don't think so." She fished through the clothes. "Here." She removed another onesie, this one with a dinosaur. "He'll like this one, because of Agumon."

Dropping it into her mother's hands, she darted to a striped t-shirt displaying an image of a soccer ball. "And this one. He loves soccer." She smiled and ran a hand over her stomach, "You can play all the soccer you want when you get older, I promise."

Glances were exchanged between Sora and Mrs. Yagami, but Hikari let it pass. She was having fun, real fun for the first time since Phelesmon, since Taichi's death, since her father…

"Thank you for doing this for me and Taichi," she said.

"Of course," Sora said.

Mrs. Yagami embraced her. "You're my daughter, I'll love you no matter what."

She noted with sadness that her mother made no mention of her father.

* * *

Yamato stood on the cliff's edge, eyes squinted in the stinging wind. He examined the device in his hand once again, the small monitor and display lights remained silent. He gave the village of Digieggs below him a final look before returning to the tent.

Once inside their makeshift shelter, he removed his gloves and pulled off his furred parka. "We're sure this works, right?"

"I tested the concept on mine and Ken's digivice," Koushiro explained, "Before I calibrated it with Taichi's."

He sighed and plopped into the chair, arms resting on the table. "Then we've hit another dead end."

"Maybe Agumon hasn't been reconfigured," Tentomon suggested, "If his data was just too corrupted this time…"

Yamato sighed, "At this rate, it might be easier to test the baby."

Koushiro stared at him from across the table. "For that to work, you'd actually have to tell Hikari."

Yamato returned the glare. "You want to talk about this again? Fine. We get her hopes up and then we can't find Agumon, then what? And what if we do find him, but he has no idea if Taichi's being reincarnated or not. What's that going to do to her?" His mouth twisted into a frown, "She's gotten a little better, but… me and Sora have talked about trying to get her to see another therapist, but…"

"How would you pay for that?" Koushiro questioned.

"Her mother's been sending us money," he answered, "And don't say anything to her about it. The only reason we got her to stay for so long is because she thinks me and Sora can afford it."

Koushiro frowned. "Fine. I don't like it, but I'll do it."

Yamato rose to his feet and pulled on his gloves. "I'm gonna take another look and then we'll call it a day."

Koushiro opened his mouth to talk, but his laptop exploded in light and sound. "What's going on?" Tentomon asked.

Yamato and Gabumon leapt behind the boy with a head of curly red hair. Windows were popping open on his laptop with Koushiro trying to close each one. "Something's hacking my connection!"

A red window opened on screen, an image of a devil appearing a second later.

Yamato growled. "Phelesmon."

"Chosen Children," the digimon said, his voice a mix of graveling and snarling, "You've hidden Light from me, and since I have not heard from Boogiemon in some time, I can only take it to mean he had been destroyed after following that pathetic Plotmon back to your world. Shame he did not report back Light's location."

"That's how he found Hikari that night," Koushiro said, "Good thing he was destroyed."

Yamato grabbed the sides of the laptop. "Where are you hiding you fucking coward!"

"Yamato," Koushiro hissed, "It's a one-way transmission."

Phelesmon continued, "But I will find her, Chosen, and then a new world will be birthed in darkness!"

Yamato's fist smashed into the table as the video cut off.

* * *

Hikari let her feet fall softly as she stepped into her old apartment. "Are you sure it's okay that…"

Her mother gently pushed past her. "Your father won't be home for another few hours."

"Y-yes, but how is he going to feel with all the baby supplies?"

"He won't even know," she explained, "As long as we keep them in storage until…"

Hikari frowned, "Until he forgives me?"

Mrs. Yagami's arms wrapped around her. "I'm trying."

"And you can stay with us as long as you want," Sora added.

She stared at her feet, the pain, the darkness, the sorrow creeping back into her heart. "But I can't stay there after Taichi's born."

"We can discuss that later," the redhead replied, "We've got time, don't we?"

Hikari found a smile pushing through the pain, the darkness. "Yeah, but I'm growing fast."

Mrs. Yagami stepped into the kitchen. "Let me make you some tea."

"I'll help," Sora offered.

Hikari watched her mother and 'older sister,' in the kitchen before her eyes peered into her room. Her vision blurred, tears flowing down her face. She pulled away and stepped into Taichi's room, empty save for a box of soccer trophies.

She winced, a sharp feeling in her abdomen. Her hand rested on her bump, "Its okay, Taichi. I know you want to come back here, but I'm working on that."

* * *

Yamato and Takeru were at the apartment when the young women returned. "Did you have fun?" Takeru asked.

Hikari grinned, carefully lowering herself onto the couch. "We got enough baby supplies for Taichi to last a while. I wonder how fast he'll grow. I guess Jyou can tell us."

Sora swallowed. "S-so, Hikari, are you going to keep calling him Taichi?"

She shrugged. "It's his name. It would just be too confusing for him to hear a different one."

Sora's mouth opened, but only sounds emerged. Was she struggling to think of what to say? "A-are you sure that it won't be confusing to have your son and brother with the same name? I mean, people might think it's strange…"

"Other people," Yamato said, a strange glare at his girlfriend.

Hikari was quiet for a time, but then a smile came over her face. "Yes, I suppose you're right. Um, I guess we can call him Taisuke. This way it sounds familiar to him, but I can also say that I named him after my brother."

Takeru smiled, a nod of his head. "What if it's a girl?"

Hikari's head moved from side to side, "It will be a boy." A smile crept over her face as she turned to Sora. "Not unless Taichi wanted to see how we girls live this time. Maybe he felt sorry for teasing me about my first period."

Sora gave a nervous laugh. "I-I'm not sure Taichi would…"

Hikari shook her head once again. "I don't either. I was only kidding."

Takeru pressed. "What about Miaka if it's a girl?"

Hikari frowned. "It's not going to be a girl, but we'll call her Taiko, if it is, okay?"

Takeru's head nodded, his arms embracing her. "Well, boy or girl, you'll be the best mother in the world."

Her smile was a mirror of his. "And you're going to be a great father."

* * *

Once dinner was finished and Takeru had returned to his apartment, Hikari gathered her things for her bath, her eyes focused on the mirror hanging behind the door, and then to the phone on her bed. Nothing to hide now.

She pulled down on her dress, causing her bump to stand out even more and snapped a picture of her reflection. " _Two months down,"_ she wrote, _"Seven to go. I can't wait for you to get here Taichi."_

Her thumb hovered over the screen. She had almost said too much, revealed too much. She needed to keep it quiet, hidden.

She hit the backspace, edited her last statement. _"Can't wait for you to arrive."_

Another hesitation. Once it was posted, there would be no questions. If her school friends did not guess before, they would know for certain now.

No going back.

She took a breath and clicked.

* * *

Once dinner was finished, baths were taken, and Hikari retired to the guest room, Sora was left on the couch with Yamato. Her attention struggled to stay focused on the sitcom, which Yamato found hilarious for some reason, but her mind continued to drift to her houseguest. "Yamato, we need to talk."

He frowned, a deep sigh escaping his mouth. He switched off the television. "Okay, what is it?"

She heard the tone in his voice but chose to ignore it. "I'm worried about Hikari, she's getting worse."

Yamato said nothing, so she continued. "She's going further and further into her delusion…"

"Who says it's a delusion?" Yamato asked.

Sora stared. "What? You really believe her?"

He shrugged. "We've seen some really strange stuff, right?"

"If you believe her, then why are you spending so much time looking for Agumon?"

"Not so loud!" he hissed, eyes focused on the door to the guest room. "I'm just keeping an open mind. I'm surprised that you're so convinced."

She slunk back into the couch, a frown on her face. "Taichi's gone," she said, "We need to accept it and move on."

Yamato's mouth opened, but she was not going to let him convince her otherwise. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

* * *

Hidden within a section of the Digital World, the devil Digimon rested his hand on his throne. His evil eyes focused on the Digimon appearing before him. "Turuiemon, report."

The rabbit man bowed. "Master Phelesmon, I have found the Chosen Children."

His eyebrow raised. "And you did nothing?"

His head hovered low. "My lord, they appear to be searching for Courage's Digimon partner."

"What? Explain."

"I observed Friendship and Knowledge scouring Primary Villages across the Digital World."

"What would they be doing there?" Phelesmon asked, "Their partners are still with them, aren't…" A smile spread over his face, "They are seeking Courage's partner."

"Would that not mean that Courage is still alive?" Turuiemon asked.

"I don't know," the devil answered, "But keep your attention on them. Once they find Courage's partner, we may be able to use it to draw Light here. I don't understand the human's relationships to one another, but Courage and Light were far closer to one another then the others. I kill Courage, and Light completely shuts down. If I were to injure Courage's partner, would Light feel it? Since the Chosen are guarding their tracks since Boogiemon followed Light's partner back to Earth, this seems to be the best course of action."

His eyes glinted. "Do you understand?"

Turuiemon nodded. "Yes, master."

End of Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4

Samsara

Chapter 4

 _One Month Later-Three Months Pregnant_

The worst moment of Hikari's life replayed over and over in her mind like a corrupted video file. Her hands were held together by thick rope; Tailmon lay unconscious at her side. Her brother and his partner fighting for _her_ life. She had to help him, she had to get free!

"Tailmon!" she cried, "Wake up!"

Her partner's eyes finally slid open, bright blue eyes staring at her. An unspoken understanding transmitted between the two partners, and Tailmon sliced Hikari free. The teenager liberated her digivice from her pocket, ready to order her partner to evolve, ready to help her brother.

It was too late. Wargreymon cried out, his data exploding into sparkling fragments, his life essence dissipating in the wind.

"No…no…"

And then Phelesmon turned to her, a wild glee in his eyes. A blast of energy flew from his hand. The world closed in on her; Tailmon shouted for Hikari to evolve her, but she was too scared, too frightened.

Yet the end did not come, the blast did not strike her. A shadow leapt in front of her at the last second, a sicken scream filling the air, and then Taichi fell backwards into her arms, his weight sending her to her knees, yet she cradled her brother's head like a mother would a child.

"H-hikari," he said, "Are you okay?"

"Yes!" she cried, "Yes!"

His void was barely above a whisper, his eyes closing, "G-good. T-then that's all that matters…"

Hikari woke, tears streaming down her face, a sharp pain in her stomach. Taichi must have had a nightmare, remembering his last day alive. She rested a hand on her stomach, "Shh, shh," she said, "I know Taichi, I know how painful that must have been for you, but it's okay, you're here with me now. And I promise I will make things right with you."

* * *

Hikari's hands twitched in her lap, her eyes trying not to focus on any of the other teenage girls. A few looked nice enough, but most looked as though they could break her in half without much effort. She had never been a fighter, always relied on Taichi or Tailmon, or even Sora, if the source of conflict was a girl. What could she do now?

Her eyes scanned the group once more. They were all pregnant; they would not try to fight her, would they?

She swallowed. This was a mistake. She reached for her purse, but Mrs. Tendo, the older woman in charge of the meeting cleared her throat. "Good evening everyone. Tonight, we have a new member, Hikari Yagami."

She rose, bowing slightly. "Thank you for allowing me to join you."

"Now, Miss Yagami, when we have a new member join us, we ask them to tell us their history and how they became pregnant. We are very open here, so we ask the same of you."

She nodded, memories of the Digital World churning in her mind. How could she tell them that? "Um, I-I don't know where to start."

"How about the beginning?" snorted a girl with dyed blue hair.

That resulted in only a few laughs. "Nabiki!" Mrs. Tendo snapped. She turned to Hikari. "But she's probably right. Who is the father of your child?"

Hikari blushed; they _were_ very open. "A-a friend."

"And when did it happen."

"The night of my brother's funeral."

A low murmur echoed through the group. "Ah," Mrs. Tendo said, "I see. Often times we substitute one emotion for another when our minds can't deal with it any longer; you replaced grief and sadness with passion."

Hikari searched her mind; that could very well be true. "Passion, not love?"

"I'm not saying that you don't love him, but it's very common. Especially after a loved one's death. Oftentimes we even replace our grief with guilt; we feel that it's our fault. Hikari, do you feel that your brother's death is your fault?"

"But it was my fault!" she protested, "I caused his death."

Another murmur spread through the group. Mrs. Tendo frowned, with her eyes full of compassion. "How is it your fault?"

She had come this far, might as well go the entire distance. "I was taken by a…by a bunch of gang members. My brother came to rescue me but was killed."

"But that wasn't your fault."

She should have stopped, should have closed her mouth, but the damn had been open. "It's always my fault. I'm so weak and pathetic. All I do is hurt people close to me, and my brother finally paid the price. I took his life, so I have to bring him back into the world."

Mrs. Tendo raised an eyebrow. "What?"

She caught herself; she had said too much. "I…this is my punishment. I took a life, and I have to bring one into the world."

"Wow," a large girl with spiked hair said. She appeared to be a few months further along than Hikari, "And I thought I was messed up."

"Akane," Mrs. Tendo sighed.

The meeting continued, each one of the girls relating to Hikari their own personal story. She frowned, heart breaking at hearing that many of them had boyfriends who had walked out on them. She had Takeru at least, but would he always be with her?

When the meeting had ended, she gathered up her things and made her way to the entrance.

"Yo, Yagami."

It was Akane. "What you said before, about your brother? Were you telling the truth?"

She nodded, eyes downcast. "Yes, unfortunately."

"But it's not your fault. You didn't ask to be kidnapped, right?"

"You don't understand, they're always after me."

Akane raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

Evil digimon, creatures so wicked and powerful that you would never sleep again if you knew they existed.

How could she tell her that? What _would_ she tell her?

Akane had apparently lost patience. "You live in a bad neighborhood or something?" A smile came to her face and Hikari imaged a light bulb appearing over her head. "Your brother was a gang member?"

How should she answer? "Kind of."

Akane exhaled a blast of smoke. "Damn, and I thought my story was bad."

She had been raped by her former boyfriend, but her parents had forbidden her from aborting the child. "But you had no choice…"

Akane blew out another stream of smoke.

"Should you be smoking?"

"It's an e-cigarette. I'm trying to quit." She shrugged, "First one I had in a week."

A familiar voice called out to her. "Hikari!"

Yamato and Sora had stepped into the center. "Oh, hi, Oniisan, Oneesan." She turned to Akane, "Akane, this is the brother of the father of my child and his girlfriend."

"Nice to meet you," Sora bowed.

The pregnant teenager finished her e-cigarette and studied Yamato and Sora. "You two had better take of her, she's something special."

Hikari's face turned red. Yamato chuckled, "Yeah, she is all right."

 _Two Months Later-Five Months Pregnant_

Sora heard the footsteps, knew that her guest was once more racing to the bathroom. She frowned, eyes downcast at the bowls of miso on the table. She wished she could help Hikari, wished there was some way to alleviate her of the pain, the guilt; wished that she could take the burden of her child.

It should have been her! She was older, she was out of school, and now Hikari was liable to throw her future away because of something she wants to be true. Why couldn't she, why couldn't Yamato and Takeru, see how dangerous this was becoming? Would the child be taken from Hikari if she was deemed unfit? She had been Taichi's friend for so long, felt like an older sister to Hikari for so long…

She needed to do something.

Hikari emerged from the bathroom, hands sliding along the wall, feet struggling to find balance. Sora rushed to her side, took her hands into hers and brought her to the kitchen. "It's getting worse, huh?"

"How long will this last?" Hikari asked.

Sora shrugged, but put a reassuring smile on her face. "I don't know. You're the first in our group to have a child. I wish it…"

She caught herself, words dying in her throat. If she said it, would it only make things worse, only drive Hikari further into her depression, her delusion?

Maybe it could be the start, be the beginning of a dialogue. "I wish it had been me."

"Don't say that," Hikari replied, "I'm the one that needs to bring Taichi back here, after all." She snickered, "I think he would have felt weird being your child anyway."

"And it's not weird being his sister's child?" she said, unaware of the words until they had emerged from her mouth.

"He's in the same family again," Hikari answered.

"But you've had to leave school because of him. Would Taichi really want to put you through that?"

Hikari only shrugged. "But it had to be me because…"

Sora would not let her finish. "Hikari, you need to stop saying that. It wasn't your fault that Taichi died, and you're not making some kind of amends. Taichi is dead, you need to accept that."

She saw the hurt on Hikari's face. No, it was more than that, it was betrayal. "I see," Hikari nodded, "I think I've imposed on you and Yamato long enough…"

Sora took hold of her hand, squeezed as tight as she dared. "I like having you here, I want you to stay as long as you need to, but…" She tried to hold it back, but the feelings pulsed through her body, radiated from her heart to her face. Small tears came to her eyes. "I'm so worried about you, Hikari. I…I don't want them to take your child from you."

"You don't need to worry," she said, "I've learned to play along with everyone else, say what they want me to say."

"That's not what I mean," Sora sighed.

"I want you to believe me," Hikari said, "How can I prove to you that…?"

"You can't!" she burst, "You'll never be able to prove to me that…"

"He's sorry."

The redhead blinked. "What?"

Hikari blushed, hands resting on her swollen abdomen. "Taichi had a crush on you, did you know that?"

Sora's red face matched Hikari's. "H-he did?"

"For a long time, ever since your first trip into the Digital World."

Memories flowed through Sora's mind. "I…I always thought that he felt that way…" She stared. "He told you?"

"I thought it was obvious," she giggled, "But I'm his sister, so maybe it was more obvious to me."

She swallowed, throat dry as a desert. "But he's sorry?"

"After you asked out Yamato. He was distant to the two of you for a while. That's the reason why and he's sorry about it."

Sora opened her mouth, not even sure what to say, when Hikari continued. "And you were his first kiss."

Her eyes grew. "What?"

"After he rescued you from Datamon, you kissed him. You made him promise that he wouldn't tell anyone."

Her eyes shrunk into slits of red anger. "And he told you?"

"He's telling me now."

Sora's eyes exploded open once again. She stared at Hikari, a feeling of fear and excitement fighting for control in her stomach. "H-he is?"

"Not in words, just in feelings. I have weird dreams sometimes that I think are from him."

Sora stood, wiping sweat from hands on her apron. "D-do you want some breakfast?"

"Yes, thank you. I think my stomach has settled now."

Sora marched to the counter, fingers wiping tears from her eyes. Did Taichi tell Hikari about their kiss long ago, or could it be possible that…?

Yamato told her to keep an open mind.

"It's open," she muttered, "Its open."

* * *

Yuuko Yagami had a thought enter her mind as she sifted through Taichi's sports trophies. Where were his journals? She pulled apart the boxes set aside for donations, but the bound stacks of paper had vanished.

 _One Month Later-Six Months Pregnant_

Yamato's hands gripped tightly around the device, eyes darting from the blinking screen to the sea of digieggs before him. "It's here!" he shouted.

Garurumon raced behind him. "Slow down, Yamato, I can't keep up with you."

He snickered to himself; his partner was getting slow. Maybe it was him. If he was fast, then it was due to pure excitement. Energy of anticipation drove him faster than he had ever run before. The device in his hand blasted off beeps of noise, growing louder and quicker until he stood over an Digiegg, a pure white like a large chicken's egg.

"That's it?" Garurumon growled.

Yamato held the device to the egg, noise like an alarm blasted through the air. "This is it."

"All right, you've found it," Koushiro shouted as he approached, "You can turn it off now."

The device depowered, the sound silenced. Tentomon hovered in front of the egg in Yamato's hands. "That's Agumon, huh?" He peered closer. "Strange."

"What's strange?" Koushiro asked.

"It's been months since Wargreymon was deleted. He should have hatched by now."

"Why didn't you bring that up before?" Koushiro snapped.

"Um, well, I, uh, I guess you never asked. I just assumed we'd find a Botamon or a Koromon."

"Numskull," Koushiro muttered.

"Back up a bit," Yamato said, "Is it bad if Agumon's still a Digiegg?"

"Can't say for certain," Tentomon replied, "Could be that his data's just too damaged to hatch."

"Wouldn't he delete then?" Garurumon questioned.

"I just had a thought," Koushiro said, "If Agumon's still an egg after all this time, and Hikari's pregnant…"

Yamato stared at him. "Then he's waiting for Taichi to be born before hatching?"

"Now, that still doesn't prove that it's Taichi," Koushiro retorted, "It could be that Agumon's now partnered to Hikari's child."

"Why? Why not a new digimon? Chosen have been appearing since Belial Myotismon…"

Yamato studied the egg in his hand. "Can you do any tests or something? Try to find out while he hasn't hatched yet?"

"Maybe," Koushiro said, "Back home I…"

"No!" Yamato snapped. Koushiro winced.

"Sorry, but we've got to keep this from Hikari until we're sure."

The redhead boy nodded. "Then our base on File Island."

* * *

"Yo," Akane grinned, "Come on inside."

Hikari and Sora accepted her abrupt offer and stepped into the apartment. "Mom, we got company."

A middle-aged woman emerged from a room down the hall. "Oh, hello."

"This is Hikari Yagami and Sora Takenochi, friends from the group."

Akane's mother's eyes focused on Hikari. "You're almost there too, aren't you."

Before Hikari could answer, she turned to Sora. "But you look like you're in university."

"I am," she replied, "And I'm not pregnant."

"She Hikari's older sister," Akane explained, "Kind of."

Akane's mother shrugged. "Let me get some tea started."

Akane only waved her off. "She's a little weird sometimes," she sighed, "But the little bundle's right this way."

She brought them to the living room; a large blue blanket thrown over the carpeted floor. A child of no more than a few weeks lay on top, brown eyes staring at the hanging mobile over him.

Hikari and Sora let out a collective squeal. The redhead dropped to her knees, while the pregnant teenager struggled to shift Taichi's weight appropriately. "Have a seat on the couch," Sora said, "You'll get a turn."

Hikari frowned, not wanting to take the joy from Sora as she held the baby boy in her arms, but writing with anticipation all the same. She was the one who was pregnant!

Sora cradled the child for another moment before handing him over to Hikari. "Here, you're going to need the practice more than me."

Butterflies filled Hikari's stomach as the infant lay within her arms. She imagined the child with a head of wild brown hair. "Hold him all you want," Akane said, "The little poop machine's about to go off soon anyway."

Hikari frowned. "What's wrong?" Sora asked.

She forced a smile. "N-nothing." Her eyes focused on the child's face, "There's nothing wrong at all."

Yet her mind churned with thoughts; images of lying in a hospital bed filled her head. Her Lamaze class lessons, plus every book she had so far read, told her she would need to breathe and push in rhythm. She was also told that it would most likely hurt. It had been shown to her, revealed to her, that her pain tolerance was embarrassingly low.

She would do it, for Taichi's sake.

After drinks were served, words were exchanged, Hikari and Sora departed. Once in the hall, Sora turned to her 'younger sister.' "What's wrong?"

Hikari blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I know when you're pretending to smile and when you're really smiling."

"I'm that obvious?"

Sora smiled and gently poked her with her elbow. "I've known you for a long time now."

Hikari frowned, eyes on her abdomen. "I…I guess I never really fully realized until now. Taichi's going to be a baby again, won't he? He'll have to learn how to walk, how to eat…

"How to use the bathroom," Sora frowned.

"Yes. He won't be the same as he was before." The darkness was creeping back into her heart, "He won't even know who I am, will he?"

Her shoulder twitched, tears coming to her eyes. "H-hikari," Sora said, hand hovering over the other girl's shoulder, "I…um…"

A thought entered Hikari's mind, one that pushed aside the darkness. "But our Digimon reconfigure with their memories. Maybe the same thing will happen with Taichi!"

Sora looked away. "Um, y-yeah, maybe…"

The smile returned to Hikari's face, the darkness pushed to the edges of her mind. "That's how it's going to happen. After all, if Taichi forgot about who he was, how could he tell me those things right now?" She giggled, hands resting on stomach, "Right, Taichi?"

Sora gave another one of her strange smiles. "Sure, Hikari, sure…"

* * *

Sora was surprised to see Yamato in the kitchen, apron around body. "Good evening ladies," he smiled, slashing knife across sharpener, "I hope you're hungry."

"What's all this?" Sora asked, amusement and bewilderment fighting for control of her face.

"We've got great news!" Gabumon grinned, "We…"

"…got a great deal on flank steak," Yamato said, "Have a seat."

Sora caught the expression Yamato cast to his partner. She ushered Hikari into the dining area, Plotmon and Piyomon already seated.

"We're going to have a feast tonight!" Plotmon grinned.

Hikari lowered herself into her chair. "I'm sure we are."

Sora returned to the kitchen. Yamato's knife was slicing through the slab of meat. "Honey?"

"What's up?" he asked.

Her voice lowered. "I saw the look you gave Gabumon. What's going on?"

He motioned her closer with his head. "We found Agumon's digiegg," he whispered.

"You did?" she gasped.

Yamato winced, "Not so loud."

Sora's surprised twisted to anger. "You're not going to tell her, are you?"

"Not until he hatches. We're still not completely sure it is Agumon. We've got to wait until he hatches before we…"

He blinked, eyes studying the expression on his girlfriend's face "What?"

"T-that…and I hate myself for saying this, but that might be a good idea. Hikari has become so wrapped up in her belief that she's carrying Taichi that if anything challenges that right now…"

Yamato frowned. "Yeah, I get it but Agumon's been a digiegg for about as long as Hikari's been pregnant."

Sora's heart fluttered, butterflies filled her stomach. "Shouldn't he have hatched by now? W-what does that mean?"

"Nothing," he sighed, "Or maybe everything. What it does mean is that Hikari might really be right after all."

Sora's eyes focused on the teenager seated in her dining area, specifically her pregnant stomach. "Hikari…"

End of Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5

Samsara

Chapter 5

 _Three Months Later-Nine Months Pregnant_

Sora lay in bed, bloodshot eyes focused on the ceiling. The constant growl from Yamato had changed from a throat gurgling to a nasal whine almost on cue. She was ready to kick him onto the floor, when he swallowed, coughed, and slipped into slow breathing.

"Thank god," she muttered. She closed her eyes, waiting for the onrush of sleep to assault her.

That was when Yamato's phone blasted the quiet of the room into an acoustic rendition of _Yesterday_ by the Beetles. "Damn, I hate that song," Sora muttered, pulling the pillow over her ears.

"Yamato!" she barked, pushing his legs with her foot, "Your phone's going off!"

Another nasal whine was heard in response.

She was tempted to slug him, but instead pushed him off the bed. He leapt to his feet, head swinging from side to side. "What?"

Sora yawned, as if she had just woken. "What? Is that your phone?"

Yamato grabbed the device from the nightstand. "Koushiro? What's…" His eyes grew, mouth dropped. "No, I'm coming right now!"

Sora sat up, eyes focused on him as he dressed. "What is it?"

"Trouble at the File Island base. It's Phelesmon!"

She jumped to her feet. "No, you need to stay here with Hikari. Get Takeru and Mimi over here right now in case he comes for her."

She only nodded as he woke Gabumon from the cot he and Piyomon shared, thrusted his digivice to the computer monitor and was pulled into the Digital World.

He arrived in a scene of carnage. The Chosen complex on File Island had been their base of operations for the last two years. Now the metal gate was gone, a large hole in the building's side. Yamato and Gabumon race through the wall's opening; many of the complex's digimon staff were putting out the fires and tending to the injured. Human and digimon jumped through the hole and into the incubation room. Koushiro and Tentomon lay on the floor. A cry caught in Yamato's throat, but upon seeing his friends moving, he turned his attention to the humanoid rabbit standing in the center, white digiegg in hand.

"This is Courage's partner, correct?" he asked.

"Who are you?" Yamato demanded.

"I am Turuiemon, servant of Phelesmon, and thank you, but I've found what I've come for."

Yamato sneered, fists clenched. "Hand him over or you're going to regret it."

A smirk crossed his face. "I accept your challenge."

The human held up his digivice and his partner shone in unison.

"Gabumon evolve to Garurumon!"

* * *

Hikari stepped out of the guest room; her face blossoming into surprise. "Mimi, Palmon, what are you two doing here?"

Mimi raced leapt from the couch and hugged the younger girl. "Just want to see you. How are you doing?"

Her hair was a frizzled mess pulled into a ponytail, baggy sweat pants and an oversized t-shirt covered her frame, her face clear of any cosmetics. She had rushed over here as fast as she could.

Hikari's heart rattled against her chest. "There's trouble, isn't there? Did Phelesmon attack my parents again?"

Mimi turned to Sora. "Um, y-yes, there was some trouble in the Digital World," Sora explained, "Mimi's here just in case, that's all."

"Yeah," Palmon yawned, "No problems."

Before words could emerge from Hikari's mouth, Mimi pulled her into the guest room. "Now, let me see these cute maternity clothes Sora was telling me about."

The front door swung open, Takeru and Patamon rushing though, green pajamas clinging to his body. "I'm sorry. I didn't get the message until now. Are you okay, Hikari?"

A reassuring smile crossed Hikari's face. "Yes, Takeru, I'm fine."

Sora placed hands onto his shoulder. "Why don't you take a seat and catch your breath?"

Mimi pushed Hikari into the guest room. "Come on, I want to see how cute they look on you."

"Mimi!" Hikari protested, "I have a doctor's appointment."

"Then I'll help you get ready."

After Mimi made her model her new clothes like she was performing her own fashion show, they emerged into the living room. Sora had dressed, as well as Takeru, whose own t-shirt and jeans hung from his body.

"Yamato's clothes were a little big for me," he blushed.

"Do you want to come, Mimi?" Sora asked, "I'm sure I could lend you something."

The other young woman waved her hand. "Nah, that's fine. Koushiro woke me in the middle of the night, so I'm about ready to collapse as it is. I'll talk to you all later."

Hikari enjoyed her Obstetrician. Dr. Minamoto was an older woman who, upon finding out that her newest patient was only sixteen, gave her the usual lecture about waiting until marriage. She then asked if Hikari's boyfriend was cute.

Today's appointment was the first time Takeru would meet Dr. Minamoto. Her eyes danced across him as he helped Hikari onto the examination table. "He is cute," she said, "And quite the gentleman. You'd better keep your hands on him."

Takeru blushed while Hikari giggled.

The doctor did her usual examination, check this, examine that, poke here, tickle there. "Well, you're very close," she said, "It should be any day now. Be very aware of any changes you may feel, back pain, looser joints, passing gas. Sometimes diarrhea."

She grinned at Takeru. "Girls do it too, you know."

The blond struggled for words, Hikari laughing at his discomfort.

"Your contractions will feel like severe cramps. Watch out for those too." She helped Hikari off the table, "If I see you before you're a mother, I'll be very surprised. Good day."

Her excitement threatened to tear her apart as she told Sora. "I'm so excited," she said, "We'll have Taichi back again."

They entered their apartment, and Sora's bag hit the floor. "Yamato!"

Her boyfriend lay on the couch, Jyou laying bandages across the bleeding slits in his arm; a massive purple spot lay beneath his eye, which Gabumon covered with an ice pack. "Yamato, what happened?"

"Nissan?" Takeru questioned.

"Turuiemon was there," he said, forcing the words from his mouth, "Damn rabbit's tougher then he looks."

Hikari's mouth dropped, the world spun in circles around her. "T-tureimon? He's after me! He's coming after me!" She grabbed hold of the doorknob.

"Where are you going?" Takeru demanded.

"I can't let you all be hurt because of me."

Yamato shouted as best he could, "He still doesn't know where you are yet."

"But he might soon," Gabumon replied, "Why else would he take…" He hissed, his mouth shut.

"Take what?" Takeru questioned.

Yamato would not answer, but would also not look in their direction.

"Oniisan?" Hikari asked, "Are you not telling us something?"

Yamato turned to Gabumon. "You might as well tell them now," he said, "We're going to need help if we want to get him back."

"Get who back?" Sora asked. Her eyes opened, her mouth quivered. "You were with Koushiro…"

"He's fine," Yamato frowned, "Turuiemon took Agumon's digiegg…"

"Agumon's what?" Plotmon cried from her place on the couch.

"You had Agumon's digiegg all this time?" Hikari asked, "And you didn't tell me?"

Yamato struggled to sit, "We were going to tell you after…"

Her face lit with realization. "After you found out if I was crazy or not! You were going to do Ken's idea all along, weren't you; find Agumon and see if I'm really carrying Taichi?" Her vision blurred, tears once more falling down her face. "I really thought you believed me, Yamato."

She grabbed hold of the door handle. "Hikari!" Sora cried.

The younger girl twirled on her, eyes burning red, "And you knew about it, didn't you Sora?"

The young woman's mouth opened and closed. "I…"

"Plotmon, we're leaving," Hikari ordered.

Her partner leapt from the couch and followed her through the door. Before it shut, Hikari heard through the opening Takeru yelling at his brother. "That was really low." The door swung open once more before it slammed shut.

"Hikari, wait!"

"And did you know?" she snapped, "Did you?"

Takeru held up his palms. "No, I swear I didn't."

His eyes were angry, but compassion also shone through. "Oh Takeru!" she cried, arms wrapping around him.

* * *

"I'm surprised you're still here," Yamato said to Jyou.

"Right now I'm your doctor," the older man replied, bottle of antiseptic in hand, "I need to keep my bedside manner."

Yamato turned to Sora. "I know what..owe!"

Jyou did not apologize as he dumped half the bottle onto the largest gash on Yamato's arm.

He turned back to his girlfriend. "I know what you're going to say."

She crossed her arms. "And…?"

The blond sighed, frowns on his face. "You're right. I should have told her right away." He turned, staring at the setting sun, "I…I guess I wanted to prove to myself that Taichi really was coming back, that Agumon's egg would tell me that Hikari's child was my best friend."

"Oh Yamato," Sora sighed. "Should I go after them?"

"Let them be for a little while. Phelesmon still can't find her on Earth, and Takeru's with her." His head hung low, "She needs time away from me. I don't blame her."

* * *

Hikari, Takeru and their partners had wandered the city for another hour before they forced themselves to debate what they would do for the night.

"We could go to my apartment," Takeru suggested.

"You don't have enough beds," Patamon replied.

Takeru's shoulders shrugged, "I can sleep on the couch."

Hikari stared. "Did your mom buy a couch?"

He frowned, a chuckle escaping through her throat. "No, still the recliners."

Hikari sighed, fingers tapping on leg. Hands went into her bag and emerged with her phone. Lungs filling with breath, she spoke into the device. "Mom. I'm sorry to bother you…"

An hour later, Hikari stood before the door to her parent's apartment, the apartment that had been her home for countless years; now she was not certain if she should knock or not.

"Hikari?" Plotmon asked.

Her knuckles rapped on the door. It swung open a moment later, the outline of her mother appearing in the dim light of the evening. "Hikari, Plotmon, come on inside."

"Thank you, Mom," the sixteen year old smiled.

Takeru and Patamon hesitated in the doorway. "Come in," Mrs. Yagami said, a wave of her hand, "Come in."

Hikari saw the restlessness in Takeru's eyes, the apprehension. "Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all."

Her mother took hold of her hand. "Please, stay."

"What about Dad?" she asked, eyes drifting to Takeru.

"I'll handle him," she answered.

They slipped off their shoes and followed her into the kitchen. Footsteps echoed on the wooden floor; Hikari's heart turned cold. Her father exited the hall to their bedroom. "Yuuko, who's at the door…?"

His eyes locked on the teenagers and their partners. Takeru stood next to Hikari, hands on her shoulders. "Mr. Yagami, I…"

Hikari spoke. "Dad, please, w-we're having trouble with Yamato and Sora right now. We just need a place to…"

His mouth opened, his wife rushed before him. "Susumu…"

His mouth shut, lips twisted into a snarl. "One night, then you're gone." He marched back to their room, door slamming shut.

Mrs. Yagami sighed, defeated expression on her face. Takeru cleared his throat. "I'll, um…Patamon and I will keep guard outside."

He grabbed the small Digimon and marched onto the outside terrace. Mrs. Yagami led her daughter to her room. "It's the same way as when you left it."

Hikari smiled to her mother and entered with Plotmon trotting behind. The door shut, the sixteen year old taking it all in; her bed, her closet of clothes; her manga, her books. She dropped onto the bed, eyes blurring once again.

"Your mother seems happy that we're here," the Digimon said, hopping onto the bed.

"For how long?" the teenager asked, "You heard my Dad, we're only welcome here for one night."

"And then we're going back to Yamato and Sora's?"

"I don't know," she frowned. Her head rested in her palms, "Everyone's betrayed me; Yamato and Sora, Dad…"

"I haven't," Plotmon grinned, "And Takeru hasn't either."

A smile crossed her lips as she thought of the boy on the terrace. "Takeru. I'd…"

A pain shot through her abdomen, like a pain similar to one she experienced every month, or had until ten months ago. Her heart raced, thoughts churned. Was she…? Was it time to…?

The feeling past as quickly as it had come. "Hikari?" Plotmon asked.

She waited, breath held, but there was nothing else. "N-nothing," she said, "I'm going to turn in for the night. Can you let Mom and Takeru know?"

AAAA

Phelesmon's eyes turned from red to their normal pale blue. The digiegg on the table before him continued to shine for another moment before returning to normal as well.

"Master?" Turuiemon asked.

"That was just the first step," he said, "Let us see if Light will come to us."

"And what if she doesn't, Master?"

"We still have Courage's partner; the others will come for a rescue. Once they are our prisoners, then Light will come. Either way, she will be ours."

* * *

Hikari woke in the darkness of her room, her face a mix of sweat and tears. She twisted in her bed to read the clock, only an hour before she set the alarm; as if she could fall asleep again if she tried. She fell back in bed and stared at the celling; in her mind repeating the breathing exercises prescribed by her doctor. Her heart slowed, but the nausea remained. She bolted out of bed as best she could and dove into the bathroom.

After her body did its latest assault on herself, the sixteen-year-old slid down the hall, careful not to wake her parents, or Takeru, who lay sleeping on the couch, and paused at her brother's room, hoping that it had been a terrible dream, that Taichi would be snoring loudly in his bed, oversleeping like usual.

Her fingers curled around the doorframe and tears filled her eyes again, as they had every day for the first month afterwards. All of her brother's belongings had been removed, boxed and donated. Fresh paint still hung to the walls, while the smell of new plastic lingered in the air.

All she had wanted to do last night was crawl into her bed and cry, all she wanted to do was shut out the world for a few hours that she had not noticed before. The baby supplies, the baby clothes, the necessities for the child, had been unpacked and laid out, waiting for their new occupant. Where had all of this come from?

She ran a hand along the edge of the crib, spun the mobile attached to the ceiling. A sharp jab hit her stomach. She placed a hand on her abdomen until the feeling subsided. "It's okay," she whispered, "This'll be your room again soon."

She returned to her own room and sat on the bed, watching the sun peak over the Tokyo skyline. Should she attempt to return to sleep, or just go to bed an hour earlier that night? Either way, it would not ruin her schedule; she had little to do for the past few months besides trying to stay in her everyone's good graces.

She made her bed and decided on her outfit for the day. Since attempting to squeeze into any of her old clothes would be a futile effort, she returned to the clothes she had worn yesterday. After dressing, she positioned herself sideways to her mirror and pulled up her shirt to the bottom of her bust line, showcasing her enlarged midsection and snapped a photo of her reflection with her phone.

"Getting really big," she wrote, "Should be any day now."

She rested a hand on her baby belly. "Can't wait for you to come back…"

She grinned.

"…Taichi."

Her post received a Like from Akane, and a few of the other girls from her young mother's support group. She placed the phone down, was about to wake Takeru, when another familiar buzz brought her attention back to the device. A text from Sora.

 _Please tell me you're okay._

Hikari placed the phone on the nightstand and stepped from her room. Takeru was still snoring on the couch, but her mother was preparing breakfast as quietly as she could in the kitchen. "Good morning," she said, words coming softly from her lips.

Hikari nodded and sat at the table. Her mother handed her a cup of tea. "Your father's already left for work."

"Then me and Takeru should leave before he gets home. We will probably see about Takeru's mother…"

Mrs. Yagami frowned, mouth opened. She wanted to say more, but must have seen the expression on her face. "I take it you haven't spoken to Sora?"

"Why?"

"Because she called me last night. I told her you were here."

Hikari looked away. Should she be angry? Did she want Sora to worry, payback for her betrayal?

"I don't want to talk to her or Yamato right now," she replied, "They both lied to me."

Her mother sighed, a slight grin on her face. "I'm very thankful that Sora agreed to take you in during this time, but there are things she'd never be able to tell you about what you're going through."

Hikari's eyebrow raised.

"I don't think you're as mad with Sora as you think. When I was pregnant, with you in fact, your brother knocked over one of my plants, and I was tempted to kill him."

She giggled. "Was it a soccer ball?"

"Not yet," Mrs. Yagami smiled, "He wasn't quite there yet, but your emotions are running high right now. I want you to make up with Yamato and Sora, but I want you to stay here too."

"And what about Dad?" she asked, eyes narrow.

Her mother sighed. "Sweetie, you've seen the baby's room, right? Your father helped me set it up."

Her heart bounced. "T-then why did he…?"

"He's not sure how to feel right now. I know he's happy that you're home, he's just too proud to admit it. I want you and Takeru to stay here for dinner, so you and her father can stay and talk."

"He needs to apologize to Plotmon too," she replied, swirling her tea in her glass, "She saved his life that night." She wanted to say more, but another pain struck her body. She grabbed her inflated stomach.

"Hikari?!" Mrs. Yagami cried, chair crashing to the floor as she jumped to her feet.

Takeru and Patamon fell from the couch, but at her side in moments. "Another one?" he gasped.

"Are you having contractions?" Mrs. Yagami asked.

Was she? She had no idea. The pain doubled. Was it happening? Was she going into labor?

And then the pain stopped. "Are contractions supposed to stop like that?"

"They can," Mrs. Yagami said.

"Should we call the doctor or something?" Takeru asked.

"Not just yet," Mrs. Yagami answered, "If they start arriving in a pattern, then we'll need to head to the hospital."

Takeru swallowed. "So…it's going to be soon?"

Mrs. Yagami grinned, hands resting on her daughter's shoulders. "Maybe today, maybe tonight, but yes, very soon."

* * *

A few hours later, Mrs. Yagami held her daughter's hand as she waddled into the living room; the teenager's other hand rested on her stomach. "He's moving," she grinned, "Taichi's squirming around in there. He's going to be just as hyper as the first time."

Her mother frowned, eyes focused on the porcelain statues displayed on her shelves.

The front door swung open and Mrs. Yagami froze upon hearing familiar stomps on the wooden floor. "Mom?" Hikari asked.

Mr. Yagami appeared in the hall. His eyes locked onto Hikari. Mrs. Yagami smiled, "You're home early."

"I had a half day scheduled for today…" he started.

Hikari turned away from her father's gaze. Should she and Takeru leave now? No, if her father would not start a dialogue, then she needed to.

She turned back and smiled. "Dad, thank you for setting up the baby's room."

His father turned a slight shade of red. "Um, w-well…

Mrs. Yagami gave him a look and he cleared his throat. "I…I'm glad you're back home and I'm glad that you're safe."

Hikari blushed too, her eyes darting to her mother. She must have had 'discussed,' this with her father last night. "Dad, I'm sorry that…"

He shook his head. "No, I'm sorry for how I acted that night, and for what I said to you and your digimon." His eyes scanned around his daughter's feet, "Is she here?"

"She's sleeping in my room," Hikari replied. She studied her father. "D-do you really mean it? You're okay with…" She placed both hands on her enlarged stomach.

He hesitated. "I'm not okay with you not getting an education, but…" He smiled, "But if you really want to raise this child, then I'll…I'll try to be the best grandfather I can be."

Hikari grinned and threw her arms around him. "Oh Dad!"

He returned the hug, but mumbled beneath this breath, "Never thought I'd be a grandfather at 45."

"You'll be around so much though," Hikari replied. "Um, Takeru's in the kitchen making lunch. Do you want some?"

A strange expression came over his face. "No, I'm, uh, just heading out for a business meeting."

Mrs. Yagami blinked. "Didn't you say you took a half day?"

"Yeah, but, that was only at work. Um, I'll be back later."

They watched him exit the apartment. Mrs. Yagami shrugged. "Well, he made up with you, so that's a start."

Hikari nodded; she was going to count this as a win.

* * *

Phelesmon's hand pulled back from the Digiegg. His eyes returned to their normal blue, but the egg continued to pulse a bright light that resonated between pink and orange. "Remarkable."

"Master?" Turuiemon questioned.

"The connection between the humans is very strange indeed. Courage and Light were connected on some level, for Courage's partner is now connected with Light!" He sneered, teeth filling his grin, "I have her!"

* * *

"Any more pain?" Mrs. Yagami asked.

Hikari shook her head from her place on the couch. "Nothing, just a weird feeling that I can't describe. It sort of feels like I want to run somewhere. Is that normal?"

Her mother shrugged. "When I was pregnant with Taichi, I felt like a fat blob. I didn't want to do anything."

"Well, he's making _me_ feel like I want to run a marathon."

Plotmon yawned, still groggy from her nap, and sat beside her. "He's got a lot of energy, huh?"

She giggled. "Yeah, he's really gonna be a handful." She lifted the remote, "Takeru, I'm going to start the movie."

"Coming!" he called from the kitchen. He entered the living room, placing on the coffee table a tray of tea and rice balls. "I hope they're good. I couldn't quite remember my mother's recipe."

Mrs. Yaagmi studied him, eyes focused. "So, are you planning on staying with my daughter?"

Hikari's face turned red and Takeru struggled for words. "I…um…y-yes."

The older woman grinned at her daughter. "You'd better keep him, I'm sure he's in the eyes of plenty of girls."

In an effort to silence her mother's words, block out her amused face, Hikari pressed the button to play the downloaded movie. The screen went from black to bright red.

Plotmon looked up at her partner. "Hikari, what movie did you…"

A blast of energy burst from the monitor, coffee table smashing into Takeru's leg, shattered glass ripping into Mrs. Yagami's hand.

Their cries were silenced when the face of a demon appeared on the television. Memories flashed through Hikari's mind; a demonic face towering over her, laughing with delight as Wargreymon deleted and Taichi cried out one last time.

"Phelesmon!"

"Greetings Light," he said, his voice like gravel, "You did well to hide from me all this time, but Courage's partner led me straight to you."

"What have you done with Agumon?" Plotmon demanded.

A large, red hand burst through the screen, materializing in air like sparks of lightning drawing together. Patamon and Plotmon both attempted to battle, but it knocked them aside like stuffed animals. It grabbed Hikari, large enough to engulf her entire body before yanking her back through the monitor.

"Hikari!" Plotmon screamed, leaping after her.

Takeru leapt to his feet. "Patamon!"

"Takeru?" Mrs. Yagami questioned.

"Call Yamato!" he ordered. Digivice in hand, he and Patamon leapt through the monitor only moments before it once again faded to black.

End of Chapter 5


	6. Chapter 6

Samsara

Chapter 6

Yamato found Sora staring out the bay windows of their apartment, the first rays of sun peeking over the horizon. "No classes today, right? You're up early."

"I couldn't sleep," she answered, soft sips from her mug.

"Me neither," he replied.

Eyes stared at him from over her shoulder, "Yeah, but you deserve it."

He winced. "Yeah, I know."

A sigh escaped Sora's lips, "But I went along with it, I didn't tell Hikari either." She sipped her mug, "Do you think she's okay?"

"She's at her mother's right?"

"Yeah, but remember what she said her father did? What if he…?"

Yamato's arms wrapped around his girlfriend. "He won't, he was never like that before. Besides, if he touches one hair on her head…"

The couple watched the sun rise in silence. "I let Taichi down," Yamato said, "I couldn't save him, so how could I hope to do anything for his sister?"

"Don't talk like that," Sora said, "She needed a home, and we gave it to her."

"But because of me she's gone." His head shook, "At least Takeru's still texting me. They're still at the Yagami's. We need to get over there, who knows when Phelesmon will…"

The familiar rhythmic sound of Sora's ringtone echoed through the apartment. The young couple shivered. He flashed a smile, "It's probably fine."

Sora answered her device, and Yamato could see by her expression that it was far from fine.

* * *

Plotmon's eyes drifted from her partner to the demonic Digimon towering over them and back. "Hikari!"

Phelesmon laughed, a deep, snarling sinister laugh. "How fragile these humans be."

The Child Digimon put her paws on Hikari's leg, as she sat with her back against the wet stone walls. The human's eyes were glazed, her hands motionless at her side. "Hikari!" Plotmon cried, pushing against her human, "Hikari, what are we going to do?"

Phelesmon laughed again. "How is it that Light is so weak? Why is it that I kill Courage and you become this? What was he to you?"

"He was her brother!" Plotmon snapped.

The devil shook his head. "That word means nothing to me. How is it that…I…" His words trailed into nothing, his eyes staring at his prisoner. "H-have you gotten larger since we last met?"

Plotmon's eyes narrowed. "She's pregnant!"

"Again, those words are meaningless to me. Explain, peasant."

Plotmon snarled, her small teeth resulting in a snicker from her opponent. "It means she has a child."

"A Child is within her now? How is that possible?"

Plotmon wanted to smack him, wanted to knocked his teeth out in more ways than one. "She has a young human inside her!"

Phelesmon stared, a light coming to life in his eyes. "Ah… So that is how humans make more humans. I'll keep that in mind, for with your death, I will march over your world!"

"Why?" Plotmon asked, "Why do you want her dead so much?"

Phelesmon stared once again, a chuckled escaping his lips. "Really? You really need to ask that? She is the Light! Just as Myotismon before me, I must snuff it out. With her death, the rest of the Chosen will lose their resolve, and nothing will stop me from conquering the human world."

"That won't happen! The Chosen will just come after you for justice and revenge!" Plotmon protested, hoping this statement would be a revelation to him, make him let Hikari go.

Eyes rolled in his head. "Oh please. I kill Courage and Light falls apart." Teeth barred over a sinister smile, "I'm sure the rest will do the same once she is dead."

"No!" Hikari cried, hands wrapping around her pregnant stomach, screams sounding from her mouth, tears pulsing from her eyes, "It was my fault Taichi died, and it's gonna be my fault that he'll die again!"

Plotmon's paw rested on her leg, "Hikari…"

Phelesmon turned to Tureimon, "She truly is insane." He raised his hand, "I'm sure you remember this from Myotismon, but I assure you I will not fail!"

"Guess again!"

Plotmon grinned, a declaration of "Patamon!" flying from her mouth.

Hikari blinked, strong hands on her shoulders. "T-takeru?"

He stood over her, a reassuring grin on his face, "We followed you through the gate." His head twisted to Phelesmon, digivice in hand. "Patamon!"

His partner flew past, familiar light surrounding him. "Patamon super evolve to HolyAngemon!"

The armored knight extended the blade on his arm before launching forward a sword swing aiming for Phelesmon's head. "Excalibur!"

Turuiemon leapt in front, the blade catching the gauntlets on his forearm. "Pica Sparking!"

He swung, knocking back HolyAngemon with one hand before his other fist connected with the angel's face. "You've lost your touch," Turuiemon said, blocking another sword swipe, "I would have expected more from the fabled Child of Hope."

"How's this?" the angel asked, knocking Turuiemon's head back with his elbow before his blade pierced his chest. The rabbit gave no cry as he deleted.

HolyAngemon had no time to celebrate, as Phelesmon went on the attack, pitchfork meeting sword in repeated jabs. "You may have defeated my minion, but you will fail against me!"

HolyAngemon attempted an elbow jab as he did with Turuiemon, but Phelesmon was too fast, too quick. He grabbed the angel's forearm and threw him into the dungeon wall.

"Hikari!" Plotmon cried.

Takeru's hands squeezed Hikari's shoulder. "We're not done yet, right?"

"What can I do?" she asked, "I'll just mess up like I always do."

"Hikari," Takeru cried, "This isn't the time for this! HolyAngemon needs Angewomon!"

She reached for her digivice, but the object fell from her shaking hands. "I…I…All my fault." She cried, hugging her stomach, "Taichi, please forgive me! I'm so sorry! You're going to die again because of me!"

"Hikari!" Plotmon screamed, "You need to evolve me!"

Images filled her mind, an angel in dark armor, a demonic woman with black feathered wings. I…I can't!"

"You evolved me to Tailmon just fine!" Plotmon pleaded. Her eyes darted from her partner to Phelesmon's battle with HolyAngemon. Excalibur was caught between the spikes of the trident.

"Demon's Shout!" he screamed, piercing soundwaves causing Plotmon and the two humans to clamp their hands over their ears. Teeth clenched, HolyAngemon pushed past the pain, launching his other fist into the demon's face.

Phelesmon's head slammed into HolyAngemon's face.

Hikari stared, fingers curled around digivice again. She wanted to help, she needed to help.

But Ophanimon Falldown Mode and Ordinemon filled her mind.

Phelesmon's fist connected with HolyAngemon's stomach, the force pushing him through a brick wall. As the square stones fell, as the hole appeared, they could see into another room, this one containing a simple, white Digiegg.

"Agumon's digiegg!" Plotmon cried.

Hikari's eyes focused on the object, her heart clenching. No, that was lower and deeper. Face winced, arms and legs curling, a cry escaping from her mouth.

"Hikari?" Takeru gasped, "Oh shit! Are you in labor?"

Or was Taichi punishing her, punishing her because she could not even endure her own punishment. She was supposed to bring Taichi back into the world for what she did, but now he would die again. At least this time so would she, she would die so no one else would suffer because of her. No more running from evil Digimon, no more causing suffering to those she cared about. Just close her eyes and let Phelesmon's darkness overtake her…

Another pain, another jab. Images filled her mind; SkullGreymon racing across the desert, demonic roar reducing the other Digimon to helpless statues.

Hikari shook the images from her mind. Taichi with SkullGreymon, herself with Ophanimon Falldown Mode. Like brother like sister, both brought about dark evolutions because of their evil side; Taichi with his arrogance and herself with her darkness.

Another pain, another jab. Images of Metalgreymon filled her mind. Taichi had initiated a dark evolution, but he did not give up. He did it again, and succeeded this time. Taichi never gave into his depression, his doubts, his darkness. He learned from his mistake, he kept going, he put the past behind him, he moved forward!

Hikari lifted her head, HolyAngemon was pinned to the floor, Phelesmon's hand around his neck. "And now," the devil said, "Time to end this. Black Statue!"

"Excalibur!"

HolyAngemon's attack struck Phelesmon's stomach, the devil's body shifted, his attack striking the angel's forearm, a black substance growing over the saber. He threw it off, where it dissolved into data.

"Well," Phelesmon grinned, knuckles cracking, "You've gained a moment, but now you die!"

Hikari rose to her feet. Taichi would not give up, and neither would she. She was Taichi's sister, and it was time she started acting like it! Digivice held high, exploding in light. "Stop!"

Phelesmon turned, eyes wide. "So, Light has chosen to fight after all." He roared with laughter, "Fine! I really don't like my prey to be too easy!"

Light flowed from her device, but another light filled the dungeon. As Hikari's digivice pulsed light, Agumon's digiegg pulsed out a light in response. Hikari winced as more pain filled her midsection. "Okay Taichi."

"Who are you talking to?" Phelesmon demanded.

Agumon's digiegg shown with light, so bright that all save Hikari could stand it. The digiegg lifted, hovered in air for a moment, before exploding into data. Rather that scattering, it remained close, a ball of splintering sparks. The data shot past Phelesmon and wrapped around Plotmon. "W-what?"

"Plotmon," Hikari said, eyes narrowed as she stared at the devil, "Ready to try this again?"

Her partnered grinned. "Oh yeah!"

Hikari held her digivice, the energy filling her, energy of pure light. "Evolve!"

"Plotmon warp evolve to Ophanimon!"

Takeru grinned, an emotion shared by HolyAngemon. "Way to go."

Hikari grinned at her partner, snarled at her enemy. "Now Phelesmon, are you going to leave me alone?"

Phelesmon growled. "You think this scares me? I will destroy you, annihilate the Chosen, and both worlds will be mine! Black Statue!"

Ophanimon spun her javelin above her head before unleashing it with force to pierce Phelesmon's shoulder. He cried out, white burning emerging from the wound. "W-what have you done?"

"Face our Courage and our Light!" Hikari snapped.

Ophanimon's hands hovered inches from each other, ten spots of light appearing. "Sefirot Crystal!"

"N-no!" Phelesmon screamed, the crystals tore through his body, rendering him into shards that vanished into data.

Ophanimon hovered for a moment before descending to the ground as Plotmon. Hikari grinned. "We did it, we really…" She moaned, hands clutching stomach.

Takeru's hands were on her shoulders. "Hikari?"

She only moaned in response.

Takeru's head twisted. "How do we get back?"

"Takeru?! Hikari?!"

Their heads lifted, a glowing circle appeared above them, Yamato's voice echoing through the opening. "Yamato!" Takeru replied, "Where are you?"

"At the Yagamis!" he cried, "Are you okay?"

"We're fine, but get us out of here! Hikari's going into labor!"

* * *

Hours later, it had felt like days, Hikari lay in the hospital bed, a newborn wrapped in blankets resting in her arms. Takeru sat beside her, eyes twinkling at his child. "Wow, this is…"

Hikari giggled, "Yeah, I know."

A knock on the door, and Yamato and Sora entered. "H-hi," she said, "I, um, hope we're not intruding."

"Of course not."

Sora continued, a strange mix of happiness and sadness on her face. "I didn't think you'd want to see us again."

Hikari frowned, a sigh escaping her lips. "I was angry, yes, but…" Her lips twisted into a smile, "You're family, Oneesan."

Sora grinned, pulling Yamato inside. The blond man's face turned red. "I, um, I apologize, Hikari, Takeru, for keeping that from you."

"I at least got to see Agumon one last time."

Yamato and Sora unleashed a collective gasp as Hikari related the events of earlier that day. "I see," Yamato frowned, "So Agumon's really gone this time."

"Maybe," Takeru said, "Or maybe he'll reconfigure again in some way." He motioned to the sleeping infant in Hikari's arm, "As a partner again."

The couple moved closer. An angelic face peered at them from within the blankets. Sora squealed. "He's so cute!"

"She."

Yamato and Sora blinked. "It's a girl?" Yamato asked.

Hikari nodded. "Yes. Say hello to your niece."

Sora laughed. "I guess Taichi did decide to come back as a girl after all, huh? So, Taiko is it?"

Takeru nodded, eyes smiling at his daughter. "Yeah, little Taiko."

Hikari shook her head. "Miaka."

Takeru blinked. "M-miaka? But Hikari, I thought that…"

Hikari held her daughter close. "Maybe she is Taichi, maybe she's not, but she deserves her own life, a chance to grow up on her own." Her smile grew, "A chance to put the past behind us."

* * *

A few days later, Hikari lay Miaka in her crib, spinning the mobile overhead. The door opened, she turned her head. "Shh, she's asleep."

Her feet slid along the floor and joined her parents in the hall. "I think she likes her room."

Smiles and happiness filled Mrs. Yagami's face, while Mr. Yagami stumbled for words. "I…I'm sorry again, Hikari," he said, "I'm…I'm glad that you're back home, and I'm glad that you're safe now."

She hugged him, squeezing as tight as she could. "And you're okay with me spending more time with Takeru?"

He nodded. "Yes. I…he's going to make a very noble son-in-law."

"Good," Hikari smiled, "Because Takeru's coming over for dinner."

He paled, turning to his wife. "That's right," Mrs. Yagami said, "So get dressed."

He plucked at his pullover. "I am dressed."

A look from Mrs. Yagami sent him into their bedroom. "That's a little trick," she whispered to her daughter, "I'll be training you on wife and mother duties."

"Mom," she blushed.

Takeru, Yamato and Sora arrived later; a giant feast of the soon-to-be merged family on their first night together.

While they ate and laughed, Miaka lay asleep in her crib. A glow emerged from her stomach, an orange light in the shape of a star.

" _I am confident that there truly is such a thing as living again, that the living spring from the dead, and that the souls of the dead are in existence."_

Socrates

End.

Author's Note: So, was Miaka Taichi or wasn't she? I tried to leave enough sense of doubt: Hikari reading up on reincarnation before the dream with Taichi, did she know things only Taichi knew because he was inside her, or because she had read his journals, did Hikari feel those pains because of Taichi's connection with Agumon's Digiegg, or because she was going into labor, did Phelesmon find her with Agumon's Digiegg because he was connected with Taichi, who was connected with Hikari, or because he was there inside her? I also wrote Hikari, at least in the beginning chapters, as if she was delusional.

I know many readers wanted a definite explanation, but this story was always going to be open-ended. As such, any explanation I would have thought up would have been dropped in this chapter as a plot-dump and would have been thrown together at the last second. And, as this was Hikari's story, explanations were never really necessary. Hikari always believed it was true, she didn't care how.

Also, I'm a fan of HolyDramon, and was happy that she was Hikari's official Mega in the series, but Ophanimon just fit here with Hikari's overall character arc.

So, I apologize if readers did not like the ending, but I hope this doesn't turn you off from my other fics.


End file.
